


Everything(?)

by ForensicSpider98



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Birthday, Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Bonding, Camping, Closeted Character, Cuban Lance (Voltron), Eventual Smut, Fluff, Galaxy Garrison, Galra Keith (Voltron), Gay Keith (Voltron), M/M, i love that man, klance, lots of fluff, supportive shiro
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-07
Updated: 2018-12-30
Packaged: 2019-08-19 23:48:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 67,087
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16544687
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ForensicSpider98/pseuds/ForensicSpider98
Summary: After months back on Earth, Keith and Lance have been growing closer. In fact, Keith is the only one who knows Lance's darkest secret. And he would never push Lance to do something he wasn't ready to do, but...maybe, if Lance ever was ready...





	1. Event 1: Training

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ain't no rest for a Legendary Defender, so why not do some training? Also, Lance has a serious problem.

Earth had been reclaimed only months ago, and Lance was already bored. Pidge and Hunk were doing science-y things. Coran and Allura were doing science-y things. Krolia and Kolivan were doing stab-y things (wink wink). Shiro was doing leader-y things. Veronica and her pilot underlings were doing pilot-y things. And Keith was skulking around keeping an eye on everyone's progress.

Aside from group training exercises, restoration projects, and meetings, Lance was doing nothing. He read books, played video games by himself, avoided touching the piano, and most of all avoided any in-depth discussions with his family about his time in space. He didn't really have any special skills or anything to contribute. So there he was, nothing to do, bored out of his mind, leaning up against some random wall in Garrison HQ when Keith showed up.

Things were actually going well between him and Keith. There was a level of understanding between them that hadn't been there before. Aside from a few carefully kept secrets that totally weren't the cause of a concerning wall between them every time they've formed Voltron since Keith's return, everything has been going great. It's been nice, if Lance was honest, that he and Keith could be real friends.

Today though, something seemed off. The boy was scratching at his arm, nose wrinkled up. As the half-Galra leaned against the wall, Lance glanced down at the offending spot. The skin was raw and inflamed and covered in tiny red dots where he'd destroyed his capillaries. There was blood, too, where he'd gone further than that; it wasn't a lot, but Lance couldn't help but be worried.

"Dude, are you okay?"

"Don't know." Keith shifted awkwardly, clearly unsure of what to do. Like he was still unaccustomed to someone worrying about him.

"You don't know?" Lance raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean you don't know?"

"I don't feel sick, but I itch all over. Even my ears and my eyes. And my mouth hurts."

"Your mouth hurts?" That didn't sound good. None of it sounded good. "What's the last time you went to the dentist?"

"Uh...I don't think I've ever been to the dentist." Lance sighed and peeled himself off the wall, slapping Keith's scratching hand away. He ignored the awful twinge in his heart as Keith's large violet eyes looked at him, wounded.

"You're gonna scratch yourself bloody, jeez," Lance mumbled, trying not to show his guilt. He reached up for Keith's face. "Here, let me see. Where does it hurt?" Lance pulled out his phone and turned on the flashlight. Cupping one of Keith's cheeks to angle his face, he swore the boy's cheeks grew warm beneath his fingers. Weird. Of course, the proximity didn't do _him_ any favors either.  _No. Stop._

"Um. Everywhere?" Honestly, this idiot. How Keith was still alive was a mystery to the universe. Lance did not expect answers any time soon.

"Open your mouth,  _pendejo._ I'll see if I can see anything."

Keith opened his mouth, and Lance shined the flashlight. His teeth were perfect, white, clean, not a spot on any of them. What bullshit. Even Lance, for all his effort, had gotten a cavity once. Once.

"Weird. They look fine. Not even a yellow spot."

"Great, so it's either an abscess, some kind of space illness, cancer, or it's all in my head. Perfect."

Lance shrugged. He'd suggest the emo dummy go to the doctor, since something was obviously wrong with him, but he knew Keith wouldn't do it. Stubborn idiot. Not that Lance found it endearing. Still, it would be best if somebody kept an eye on him.

"You need a distraction. Wanna go train?" It was a great excuse. "I could-I could use some coaching with the broadsword."

Keith brightened at that. Aw...he always looked so happy to practice killing people. It was adorable.  _No._   _No it is NOT._

"Yeah, that sounds great. Let's go."

Awesome. Now Lance could slowly kill himself.

***

"Again."

"We've done this like, seven hundred times," Lance said, trying not to whine. He totally whined. Keith just smirked, and stepped back onto the mat. "Don't smirk at me, you ass! I thought you said this was gonna help me!"

Keith leapt at him, and Lance raised his sword to block. He did, but almost fell to his knees. When had Keith gotten this strong? The last time they'd trained together, he hadn't been. Then again, he'd also been about four inches shorter. And...smaller? Like,  _everywhere_? The breadth of Keith's shoulders was incredibly distracting. Also that narrow waist...those hips... _S_ _top._

"Sorry. I was just..." Another swing. Lance dodged and swung at Keith's legs. Keith jumped clean over the blade, and Lance was thrown off balance. Keith planted his foot on the blade, pinning it to the floor. "it reminded me of when my mom kicked my ass for almost an entire day, just to take me down a peg." Lance let his sword transform back into his bayard and rolled away. "I thought I was good. She showed me I can be better. And so can you." Keith charged again, and Lance came up to meet him with a downward strike. Keith parried the blade, turning as he did so to take a swing at Lance's back. Lance lifted his blade, managing to block. His feet slid back a few inches as he threw his weight forward against Keith's sword.

"Krolia seems cool. Terrifying but cool."

Lance turned away from Keith's blade and moved to disarm. Keith blocked him easily. Lance totally didn't notice the muscles in his shoulders or his biceps. He didn't notice. He. didn't. notice.

"Yeah, she's pretty cool. And I love her, but..." Keith caught Lance in the backs of his knees and Lance fell. He planted his foot in Lance's back and slid his sword just underneath the soft flesh of his throat. "Dead. ...But I can see where a lot of my issues come from. The whole 'closed off' thing? Stuff like that."

Keith released Lance and took a few steps back to let him up. The fight continued, with Lance managing to land a few good strikes, but never enough to win. He wasn't even sure if he was improving. Either way, there he was, not bored, but sore, bruised, dripping sweat, and breathing heavily. But Keith wasn't doing too much better, at least fatigue-wise, so he must have been doing _something_.

Aside from trying and failing not to notice. Not to notice all of Keith's new strength. Not to notice the breadth of his shoulders and the narrow waist and the graceful curves of his hips, all the lean muscle that rippled under his pretty pale skin. Not to notice those midnight eyes, intense, smoldering,  _blazing_ -

That was when Keith disarmed him and got him up against the wall. Keith slammed his now-a-knife blade into the wall right by Lance's face. His forearm was pressing against Lance's throat, just enough to make a point. Keith thrust his knee in between Lance's legs. Lance tried not to panic at the proximity. He was stolen away by those burning violet eyes. Not angry, or disappointed, or fierce, but pleased. Impressed. And  _hungry_.  _Dark._  Lance swallowed hard against Keith's arm. He needed to stop. He had to stop this. This couldn't happen.

"You're improving, Lance." Keith's voice was a deep whisper. Lance managed not to whimper. He could feel a heat beginning to burn within him. He told himself it was nothing. But he could still feel the shame knocking about in his skull. He should say something. Anything. Anything to distract himself from Keith.

"You're not antisocial because your mom is."

"Oh?" Keith didn't move. Lance could hardly stand the proximity. "Why, then?"

"Because you've always been alone. You keep isolating yourself. Even now, surrounded by people who love you."

He felt the heat rise into his face and coil low in his belly. _Dios_ , would Keith please let him go? Keith's lips quirked upward into a tiny smirk. Jesus those eyes were on fire. Lance wondered vaguely if Keith was going to eat him.

"Well I'm clearly not isolating myself right now."

"That-that's. Yeah, that's good." Lance could feel his brain preparing to slip out through his ears. The traitorous organ clearly wasn't doing its job anyway, so whatever.

Keith's lips had remained parted ever so slightly as he finished talking, the tip of a bright pink tongue flicking out for only a moment. The boy tilted his head down ever so slightly, maintaining eye contact through long, thick lashes and _Dios_ , those eyes were enormous. Did Keith even know how big and pretty his eyes were? They were wasted on him; Lance would bet money on it. Not that he thought Keith was pretty. No. Nope. Uh-uh.

Lance could feel heat radiating between them, coiling deeper. _Dios_ , what was he doing? What the hell was he doing? And why couldn't Lance just  _stop_ this before he ended up spilling secrets all over the gym floor? He couldn't do this. His mind was shorting out and he was beginning to blank and  _why wouldn't Keith let him go?_

At that moment, to door to the gym slid open, and James Griffin marched in, towel over his shoulder and entirely shirtless. Fuck.

"Oh, sorry." Griffin smirked. "Should I come back later?" Griffin drew his arms over his head, stretching up and back in an impressive arch, clearly just there to show off.

Keith glanced at Lance. Lance barely noticed. He was staring at Griffin's toned core, drinking it in.

"No," Keith grumbled. "We were just finishing up." 

Finally, Keith released him and Lance dropped to the floor. He knelt there a moment.  _Get your head on, Lance. You can't do this. You can't be like this. You can't let anyone know. Least of all Keith._ Keith offered a hand. Lance studied it for a moment. It was bare. No gloves. It was an alien hand.

"Thanks," Lance mumbled, taking the offered hand and allowing himself to be pulled up. Unfortunately for him, Keith was stronger than apparently either of them had suspected, because Lance overbalanced and ended up falling into Keith. Keith clapped him on the back to help him save face and righted him up. Not before Lance caught the scent of cinnamon and campfires. Great. That was definitely going to haunt him.

Keith headed toward the door and Lance followed silently. Once they were in the hall, Keith turned on him.

"What the hell was that?" Keith hissed.

"What was what?" Lance tried to snap, but his voice cracked. Shit.

"Were you checking him out?" Keith demanded. He looked angry. Why the hell was he angry?

"What the fuck, no! I-I don't even like guys like that!"

"Like what? Like in general or guys like him?" Keith snarled.

Why was he angry? Right. Keith loathed Griffin, and any interaction put him in a foul mood.

"I'm not gay, alright! Jesus, did I really need to spell that out for you-Hey! Where are you going?"

"Somewhere else! That's where!"

Keith stomped off, probably to go sulk somewhere. Lance caught him itching at himself again.

"Hey!" 

Keith turned, still scowling. And...hurt? Yep, there was defo some kicked-puppying-ing going on there.

"Just-Take some benadryl, alright? And some ibuprofen. It should help with-with the itching and the toothache. And maybe have Coran check you out, alright? Make sure you're okay."

Keith stared at him for a moment. Then his face softened, and he nodded.

"Yeah. Thanks Lance. And..." Keith shifted on his feet. "I'm sorry I yelled at you just now. That wasn't fair." Keith stared at the ground, clutching his arm at the elbow. The larger boy suddenly look rather sad.

"It's alright, buddy. Don't worry about it."

Lance didn't understand why Keith had gotten so angry so fast in the first place, but he forgave him for it. The guy clearly wasn't feeling his best. Keith turned and waved over his shoulder as he walked off.

"See you around, Sharpshooter!"

Lance waved back, staring at those midnight-colored eyes.

"See you around!" Keith turned the corner. "Samurai," he whispered. A small smile crossed his lips, hand still hovering.

He snatched it back down.  _Nope. Not allowed. Not ever._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special thanks to Thats_rough_buddy for the enthusiastic reception of my beta test prologue. So here's the actual beginning! I hope you guys enjoy it, but this chapter's a little dry. But bored twenty-somethings tend to get into trouble, and I promise these two are no exception.


	2. Growing Pains

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What about second puberty?

Keith was kicking himself. He shouldn't have gone off on Lance like that. He could still see Lance's face: confused, defensive, hurt. The way his body had curled in on itself even as he'd tried to fight back. Keith groaned and pressed his forehead against the cool shower wall. Dear God he was so screwed. It didn't excuse his behavior, but that was the truth: Keith was going to die pining after Lance McClain.

But...it wasn't entirely his fault he'd acted like that, right? The way Lance had kept looking at him while they'd sparred, he really had thought the other boy was flirting with him. And then James "Supposedly No Longer A Massive Twat" Griffin had come in and it seemed Lance had no problem staring at him either. So then he'd just figured he'd been wrong and Lance was still a tramp, and Lance didn't actually like him any more than anyone else. So of course he'd gotten angry. And jealous. And maybe even a little hurt. Not that it mattered.

It didn't matter what a perfect shade of brown Lance's skin was. Or how cute his freckles were. Or how blue his eyes were. It didn't matter. It didn't matter how Lance made it his mission in life to keep things light, make their work as bearable as possible. It didn't matter that Lance devoted his time and energy to learn the names of literally  _everyone_ in the Atlas crew. It didn't matter that time when Keith had caught him taking his little niece and nephew outside to teach them the names of all the stars. It didn't matter. It didn't matter. It didn't matter.

He'd been wrong in the way he'd expected all along. And now all that he felt was sad. And guilty. Lance hadn't deserved that. Keith sighed and tilted his head back, letting the cool water fall on his face and run through his annoyingly thick hair. The chill felt good on his tormented skin and still burning cheeks. But still, he figured it would be a good idea if he visited Coran. In case he had a space plague or something.

He left his bathroom, towel around his waist, only to find-

"Lance?"

Lance leapt off his bed like he'd been burned, a strangled apology escaping his lips. Wolf wined, protesting the loss of Lance's hand. Keith shrugged like Lance wasn't in his room and he wasn't wearing just a towel.

Keith looked him up and down as he scratched his furry friend behind his ear. The boy was still tense, uncertain. And he was hiding something behind his back.

"What've you got there, Lance?"

"Well...um..."

Who was this guy? Was this really Lance? What had happened to him? Where was his enthusiasm? His playful insults? His bravado. Keith knew the guy had been having a bit of a rough go of it, but Lance had seemed mostly okay when he'd-No. If he thought about that, it was definitely going to be another downward spiral of bitterness and grief.

"So, um." Lance sucked on his bottom lip, and Keith struggled not to stare. "I know we have the snazzy new uniforms and all now. But I managed to snag these before we lost the Castle. They...they seemed like they were important to you."

Lance moved his hands from behind his back, revealing a red cropped jacket with a large collar and a pair of fingerless leather gloved.

"They uh...they might not fit you anymore, but..."

"Thank you, Lance." Keith was moved. He hesitated, but was spurred on. "You were right. I thought I'd lost these." He stepped forward and took them gently. "The jacket was Mom's. And the gloves were Dad's."

Keith wasn't sure what had compelled him to say that, but he had. Now all he had to do was hope Lance wouldn't think him weirdly sentimental. He looked away with a scowl, a silent warning not to rag on him.

"Hey, don't make that face." Lance gave him a soft smile. "My jacket? It belonged to my dad. I-I never got to meet him, but I guess it's kinda like having a piece of him to take with me. Like he's still there, watching me follow in his foot steps." Lance shrugged. "Anyhoo, I'll let you get dressed. Hasta la Later, Keith." 

Keith grinned as Lance walked out. Then he threw on his clothes. He really needed to see Coran.

***

"What the hell do you mean, 'metamorphosis'?! What the fuck!"

Coran and Krolia were standing there, in front of the entire team, delivering his diagnosis, because apparently neither of them had heard of confidentiality or bedside manner or just privacy in general. When he'd gone to Coran last night,  _in secret_ , he'd assumed his condition would stay that way. Apparently not.

"Essentially, you're turning into a Galra! to an extent at least," Coran chuckled, fiddling with his mustache. Keith barely suppressed the sudden impulse to rip it right off the man's face.

"Wait," Pidge interjected. "So what's gonna happen to him?"

"Well," Krolia said with a shrug. "Basically, he'll reach sexual maturity. His sclera will likely turn yellow and his skin purple. He may grow tufts of hair on his ears. Also, he'll grow a new set of canines."

"Yes! The itchy skin is a sign of the color change and the toothache-"

"Yeah, I got it. Thanks," Keith grumbled.

This was gonna be a huge pain in the ass. 

"Wait," Iverson growled. "You're telling me that this kid's gonna look like you?"

"More or less," Krolia said with another shrug. "Keith do you have any questions?"

Keith thought about it. Honestly considering the constant maelstrom disaster that embodied his life, this really wasn't that big of a deal. Unless...Was it possible? He didn't know hardly anything about his own biology. It couldn't be. Could it? He'd better check to make sure.

"Just one." Krolia gestured for him to continue. "Can I get pregnant?"

The effect was immediate. Pidge roared with laughter and Kolivan chuckled. The rest of the Holts just looked curious. Matt had taken out a notebook in preparation for Krolia's answer. Hunk dropped his spoon and fumbled it six times amidst a slew of apologies. Shiro and Iverson put their faces in their hands. Allura's eyes sparkled with amusement and Romelle hid her smile behind her hand. Lance choked on his cereal.

Keith didn't care, just as long as the answer was-

"What?" Krolia looked confused and concerned. "No, of course not. You-you're male. What? How-Why would you even-"

"Then I have no questions, comments, or concerns," Keith said, backing out of the room with a sarcastic smile. "This is just another inconvenience in a long series of inconveniences. So as long as I don't catch Lance's lip-munching habit-"

"HEY!"

"-I'll be just fine. That being said, I'm gonna take the morning to have an identity crisis, so I'll see you all later for lunch."

And Keith fled.

There really wasn't much else to do now, it seemed, but wait for him to turn into an alien freak. Hooray. As Keith shut the door to his room, trying not to freak out, he realized that, despite what he'd said, this was  _not_ just another inconvenience.

In the span of a few days, his entire identity was going to transform. He'd be hideous, a monster, an alien. The _enemy_. What would he do then? How long would the team stick with him? Would they let him at least stay until the war was over? Until their task was finished? They would, wouldn't they? They'd still want him, right? But then again, so few people had wanted him before, when he was just Keith the human child. But the team was different, right? Right?

***

"He is  _not_ fine, Shiro." 

Lance had never argued with Shiro before, not like this. There was too much respect, too much student/mentor stuff there. But there they were, and Shiro had a vice-like grip on his arm, which was terrifying. Shiro's hand was so large, he could wrap his fingers all the way around Lance's arm. And Lance wasn't backing down.

"I'm telling you to give him a moment, and you're going to!" 

Shiro was angry, but Lance was upset.

"NO I'M NOT! You're not a paladin anymore, so maybe you need a reminder. Every paladin has a job, Shiro. What is my job? I'm the Red Paladin! Pilot of the Red Lion, and my job is to look after the Black Paladin! That's Keith! He flies the Black Lion! And Red and Black say he needs me, so let. Me. Go!"

Shiro was staring at him with such an intensity, it took all of what little courage Lance had left to stare his lifelong hero down. Lance knew he'd just dealt an incredibly low blow, but that could be apologized for later.

"Lance!" Allura cried. "You mustn't speak to Shiro like this! It's most disrespectful. He's a member of our team-"

"No, he's right," Shiro admitted, releasing his grip on Lance. "That's his job. And if the lions say he should go, then he should go."

Shiro studied him closely, appraising him. Lance huffed, ignoring the attention, and marched off toward the hall.

"You've changed, Lance," Shiro whispered to his back. 

Lance didn't even pause to turn.

"Haven't we all?"

And Lance took off to find Keith. Before the boy lost himself. Lance knew a thing or two about identity crises.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter is all fluff. Definitely, maybe! (But for real, fluff and fun next chapter.)


	3. Panicking and Carjacking: The Fluffy Picture

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith panics about second puberty, and Lance steals an ATV to make it better.

Keith was sitting, back against the door, when he heard a soft knock. He groaned softly. Of course it would be Lance that would be there. Not Shiro. Shiro had seen him vulnerable before. Shiro was safe. Lance was  _not_.

"Keith? Are you okay? Can I come in?"

Keith said nothing. If felt like his heart was galloping in his chest and there wasn't enough room left for his lungs. He'd put on a brave face in the main room, but in reality he was panicking. What was going to happen to him? On a sudden impulse, he began unbuttoning the top of his uniform. The next thing he knew, he was standing in front of his bathroom mirror wearing nothing but his boxer briefs, turning and twisting, looking for purple. And he found it, a little patch of purple skin at the small of his back.

"Oh my God. Oh my God Oh my God. Oh-my-God-Oh-my-GodOhmyGod-" 

There was a harsh noise behind him, and then Lance was there, dressed in jeans and a raglan tee, holding his bayard in rifle form. Keith stared at him, wide-eyed.

"I ah, may have shot a hole in your door." Lance frowned, deactivating his weapon. "So..." Lance surveyed the scene. "I guess you're not okay."

Lance walked over. He turned Keith to face the mirror and inspected the patch of purple skin. He hummed, poking the spot curiously. Keith shivered at the touch. His heart fluttered nervously. Wherever Lance made contact with his skin, it burned, and he had a feeling it wasn't the fucking "metamorphosis".

"It's not that bad," Lance whispered after a moment. "Really. It's hardly a big deal, Keith. It won't change anything."

Lance placed an hand on Keith's shoulder, and Keith jerked it away, staring at himself in the mirror.

"How can you say that? This changes _everything_! Up til now, at least I  _looked_ human."

"But you're not, Keith." Lance whispered. "You never were. And that's not something you should be ashamed of. You should never be ashamed of who you are or where you come from."

Keith looked at Lance, meeting his eyes in the mirror. There was a strange sadness to him, like he spoke from experience. Keith was about to ask (because he was rude and impulsive like that) when Lance turned and grabbed a set of black clothes from his dresser. 

"Get dressed. We're taking a trip."

Keith took the clothes and dressed, glad to hide the offending purple.

"Where are we going?" 

"Your place. It's time you went home."

"Lance, I don't-"

"I know you don't want to, but I think you need to. You should at least say goodbye to the place, don't you think?"

"You-"

"Know you're not staying on Earth? Yeah, I figured. I..." Lance kicked at the floor, shoving his hands in his pockets. He studied a spider spinning a web in the corner. "I know you don't really have many reasons to stay and you have a lot of reasons to go, so...Yeah, I know you're not staying." Lance turned away, running a hand through his hair. "But I still think you should visit your old home while we've got time."

Keith stared at Lance, and for the second time in the last two days, got the feeling there was something Lance wasn't saying. He really didn't want to visit his old place (too many bad memories), but the opportunity to spend time alone with Lance was an irresistible temptation.

"Alright, fine. I'll go. But I don't want to."

Lance just chuckled, heading for the door.

"Then let's go. Oh, let me tell the others." 

Lance sauntered back to the main room, throwing his entire body into the act, where everyone else was still bombarding Krolia with questions. Keith hissed, shrinking back.

"HEY!" Well, it seemed Lance had taken the diplomatic approach. "Keith and I are taking a road trip. Don't know when we'll be back. Also, he needs his door fixed."

"Why does he need his door fixed?" Shiro asked, frowning deeply.

"He wouldn't let me in, so I shot a hole in it. See ya later!"

Lance grabbed his hand and dragged him, laughing, toward the exit. Keith couldn't help his grin. These days, Lance seemed so much darker, his laugh sarcastic, spending more time sulking. He tended to be submissive, never questioning Shiro. But still, every now and then, Lance managed to surprise Keith.

So as Lance laughed, fleeing Iverson's roaring their names, dragging Keith down the hallway, Keith couldn't help but laugh too.

Keith's grin only widened and Lance headed for the yard, snatching a set of keys. He stopped outside a Garrison LTATV.

"Hurry up! Get in!" Those insane blue eyes gleamed with adventure and Keith almost got lost.

Then Iverson and Shiro turned the corner, no doubt ready to give Lance a stern talking to (or worse), and Keith didn't need any further encouragement. He climbed in passenger side as Lance went around. He was barely in the seat, door barely shut, when Lance fucking  _floored_ it. The screech of tires drowned out Shiro's scolding, and Keith whooped loudly, leaning out the window, both fists in the air, troubles forgotten in that moment.

He promised himself as they tore over the Arizona desert that this was  _not_ the last trip that he and Lance would be taking in the LTATVs. He was definitely challenging the crazy Cuban boy to a race, if not in the ATVs then something else. He watched the golden desert fly past, and for the first time, he thought maybe Earth wasn't so bad after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I really seem to have jumped on this cute little idea! The next chapter might be quite a bit longer, just to warn you guys, but it should be a good one, so I hope you guys don't mind a bit of light reading.


	4. This is Home(?) Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith goes home(?) and Lance confesses. Side note: Bachelor's button is a flower that symbolizes hope in love. Enjoy <3  
> Warning: This Chapter is long. My bad. :/

"Are you gonna go in?"

Keith stared at the small building in front of him. He should, but he didn't want to. He shook his head, slouching down in his seat, arms folded across his chest. He was really too old to act like this and he knew it, but he really, really didn't want to do this.

"Why do you hate this place so much?"

Keith took a deep breath and sat back in the LTATV. Black nudged him to trust his right hand. Red encouraged it too, as did Blue (Blue had her own devious reasons). Yellow and Green just watched the show, as usual.

Keith sighed again. The problem with being a Voltron Paladin, and the Black Paladin in particular, was that you constantly had five building-sized sentient lions in your head, telling you what you should do. And  _boy_ could they nag. A lot. He really didn't have a lot of choice.

"All of my worst memories are here," he murmured. 

"Do you wanna tell me?"

Keith looked at Lance. Black whispered in the back of his mind, urging him to speak. To be open with this boy for once. And Lance was looking at him in such earnest. Trying to understand how someone could have such reluctance to see the place where they'd grown up. Easy for Lance to say. His home was still home to him. Keith didn't have that. Not really.

"No one knew I existed," he whispered. "Like, I was born in that house. And no one was ever told I was here. I was homeschooled. Never taken to the hospital. Didn't even have a birth certificate. No one knew Johnathan had a kid. So after he died, I was alone for five days. I didn't know where to go for help. I didn't have a way to call anybody. We only had my dad's work cell, and I didn't know how to work the radios." Keith felt hollow talking about it. It was just the first in a long series of bad memories.

"I remember the man who came to the house. He said he was looking for any information on anyone who might miss Dad. Had a hard time believing there was no one else missing him. The guy was apparently my dad's best friend from the fire department. He'd come to...I don't know, grieve? I guess? I thought he was an intruder, and attacked him with a knife. He's the one who told me my father was gone...By the time I was found, he'd already been buried. I didn't get to pay my respects. Or say goodbye."

Keith let his voice die. Lance turned sideways in the driver's seat, turning the ignition off. He gestured for Keith to continue.

"I didn't come back here except once with Shiro. Dad left it to me, so it was untouched. Though our donkey was gone. I don't know what happened to her. But then Shiro disappeared, so those memories were soured too."

"And then...after I got booted from the Garrison, I lived out here. I felt...lost, alone, unwanted. Shiro was the only one who'd given a shit about me in ten years. Adam ghosted on me the moment Shiro left on his mission. So being out here, by myself?

"The desert has this way of taking everything you are, and amplifying it. So if everything you are is abandonment, loss, and lonliness, then that's all that ever was, is, or will be. And I hate being out here, because I'm afraid I'll go back to being that person I was for most of my life. The person I am now has flaws, sure. A lot of flaws. But I like to think I'm at least doing better. I don't wanna lose that."

"You're not gonna lose that, Keith." A warm brown had touched his, and Keith turned to look at Lance. People never touched him, unless they were Shiro or trying to kill him. "I won't let it happen, okay?"

The boy smiled, and that was enough to convince Keith to exit the vehicle. He headed to the little shack and entered his old home. 

Inside, things were just as Keith remembered them. The Obsession Wall. The DIY radio scanners and tech. He wondered now if Johnathan had been using it to look for his mom. He'd never moved on. Keith remembered how many times they'd gone outside and laid on top of that red hoverbike and looked at the stars. 

There was the tiny table in the tiny kitchen where Keith had eaten his meals and done his schoolwork. The folded up futon where Keith had lain for days, waiting for his father to come home.

"Wow. It looks exactly the same."

Lance headed for the Obsession Wall. He leaned in, lifting some of the topmost papers.

"If I didn't know better, I'd say your dad was looking for something." Lance looked at him, blue eyes blown wide. "I bet he was looking for your mom."

Keith scratched at his arm.

"Yeah? So?"

"Nothing. I just think it's really sweet, that's all. And sad. So bittersweet, I guess."

"There's more downstairs, if you wanna see."

Downstairs?"

"Yeah."

Keith pulled a sandy rug up off the floor, revealing a trap door. He lifted it by the large ring.

"It's cooler underground. We'd spend the afternoons down here when we could."

Keith headed down the steep set of stairs. He heard Lance following. At the bottom, Keith pulled the chain (still exactly where he remembered it) and the naked lightbulb flickered into life. The small main room was set up like a playroom, with a rug covered in buildings and roads and such, and a few bins filled with second-hand toys. There were only side rooms down here: two bedrooms and a bathroom. 

Once, this place had been home. He'd been happy here. But he'd been isolated and ultimately abandoned with no one to help. What his father's reasoning had been, Keith would never know, but sometimes he couldn't help but feel bitter. Looking back on it, he'd been set aside and made a pariah from the very beginning.

Looking around the place, Keith was sure. He wasn't going to be overcome by any resurgence of nostalgia or fondness. He hated this place, now and forever.

"Hey, Lance?"

Lance looked up from the old toys.

"Yeah?"

"I'm gonna go through this crap for anything I want to keep."

"Okay." Lance's eyes shone gold in the  dim light. "Why do you say it so...grumpy?"

"Because I don't ever want to come back here again. Ever."

"I mean, it's your home, but..."

And they began. Keith went through his own, tiny room and drug all of his clothes to the LTATV. He went through his father's room and found nothing worth keeping. There was nothing upstairs either. Keith went through every book, notebook, drawer, crate, whatever he could find, and found nothing until, tucked away in one of his field journals, Lance found a poem, written in Johnathan's hand:

_You are the sun_

_You are the moon_

_Here at the end of all things._

_There are only stars_

_And the sighing wind_

_Here at the end of all things._

_And so I rest_

_And lie in wait_

_Here at the end of all things._

_Soon I will leave_

_Soon I will fly_

_To see you again at the End of all Things._

It was crude, and clumsy, and not very good. But Johnathan had probably never written a poem before in his life. He'd been a shy man, a man of few words. A man who worked with his hands more than his intellect. He had not been a man of the arts. Keith folded up the worn slip of paper, put it in his pocket, and replaced the journal on the desk.

Keith turned and stared out the entryway. The sun was going down. He reached under the desk and pulled out a pair of MREs. Lance raised an eyebrow.

"I know it's not much, but they're not expired quite yet, so..."

Lance shrugged.

"Fine. But let's eat outside and build a campfire."

"Alright."

Keith couldn't help it. There was plenty of wood piled up against the side of the building, and it got cold enough at night that a fire would actually be nice.

Besides, Keith wasn't about to deny Lance anything so simple. He may have caught a crush for the guy three years ago (wormhole fiasco not included), but the change in Lance was alarming either way. War had changed him. Which, yeah, it was going to. But it didn't mean it was okay for Lance "Levity" McClain to be so bitter and pessimistic. So if Keith could do literally anything to help fix that, he would. Anything.

Thirty minutes later there they sat, sun down, eating chili beans that tasted vaguely of their packaging in front of a campfire, chatting calmly like old friends.

"So wait, you're telling me you've never been to a beach?"

"I'd never left the desert. Not until you took us through that wormhole."

"Wow. That's...damn. No wonder you were so pissed. So you'd never seen green grass or big trees or oceans or mountains or-"

"No. None of it."

Lance was quiet for a moment.

"You like Olkarion," he whispered. "You like the woods."

"Yeah. I do." Keith smiled at the memory of that lush forest. "I like it a lot. You know, I always thought grass would feel soft? When I touched some on Arus, I couldn't believe how weird it felt. Trees too. Bark? Shit's wack, man." Lance grinned, but it was laced with sadness and Keith's recount. "Now that I've gotten to see some of those things, I want to see more. I want to know what snow feels like. I want to know how the air feels in your lungs when you're standing on top of a mountain. I wonder what a field of wildflowers smells like. I wonder what the ocean tastes like."

"It's beautiful," Lance whispered. He tossed another log on the fire, and Keith watched the golden sparks flare into life and die. "The ocean is. The sand is white, or sometimes black. It's different from this sand. It feels different between your fingers. And the water is blue, or green, or grey, depending on where you are. And the waves are all capped with white foam. And the light sparkles on the water like the sparks from the fire." Lance picked up a crowbar, their makeshift poker, and moved the log toward the center of the fire. "And when the waves are big enough, you can surf. And if you're in the right place, you can cliff dive. Just jump right over the edge. It feels like you're flying. Like you're dying. And the water brings you back to life." Lance stared at the flames. "You'd like the beach, Keith. I know it."

"I bet I would." Keith smiled.

The beach sounded nice. Lance lay back and gazed at the stars.

"Have you seen Men in Black?" Lance asked.

"Yeah, watched it with my dad once. Why?"

Keith lay back next to him. Neither reacted when Wolf popped up next to them, finally locating his pack leader.

"You know how, right before an agent gets their memory wiped and they retire, they talk about never just looking at the stars anymore?"

"Yeah?"

"You ever feel like that? Because I do. Like they aren't just stars anymore. Like I know what's out there, and the enchantment is gone." Lance sighed. "I kinda miss that. Not that I mind the adventure. When we're not dying, of course."

Lance chuckled, and Keith joined him. This was oddly nice. He'd only ever done stuff like this with Shiro before. The stillness of this desert often felt suffocating to Keith, but this stillness with Lance? This was just fine. Except, of course, for the fact that the more time he spent with Lance, the more screwed he was.

"You know, I'm really glad we're able to work like this now." Keith tossed some of his old clothes into the fire, deciding he didn't want them. They probably wouldn't fit him anyway. "It's nice."

"Yeah." Lance gave a sparkling grin, the stars reflecting in his huge blue eyes. "It really is." This guy should not be legal. He should be a controlled substance. Like cocaine.

Keith gazed at the stars and got the feeling he could ask anything, Lance could ask  _anything_ , and the other would answer.

"So...Can I ask you something?" Keith really wasn't sure how this would go down.

"Anything, dude." Another grin.

"Um...So I don't think anyone else noticed anything, but you kinda...I dunno, something about the way you were looking at Griffin earlier kinda...Lance?"

Lance's face had gone white as a sheet. He looked like he was going to be sick.

"You can't tell anyone," he whispered. "Keith, please, you can't tell anyone. Ever. My family is...well, Latin, so they're kinda religious and I only just got them back and-"

"How long-"

"So we were on this planet, right? And I was flirting with this girl, right, only he wasn't a girl and that's when I realized I didn't care and, well, he didn't really care either, so...And then there was a battle and I've just spent so long focused on trying not to die that like, I'm only processing this now and _Dios_ , if I lost my family now after all this shit I-"

Lance shut his mouth with a snap. Keith heard him swallow. He was clearly nervous, borderline panicking, and trying his best not to ramble. Keith just sighed. He really wasn't in any way surprised that's how it had gone down. When this whole mess had started, Lance had been kind of an idiot. Now? Well, he was still kind of an idiot, but in all the best ways.

He was kind, and used his humor to make the people around him feel comfortable, or to ease a heavy atmosphere, and he'd once called Keith over a comms unit, crying because he'd dissed Coran and felt bad about it. And he didn't care what Keith was. He didn't care that he was gay, or only half human, or awkward and standoffish. He cared about Keith regardless. Unconditionally. And it-oh no. Oh NO.

"You can't tell anyone," Lance said in a trembling whisper. "Please, Keith. You can't tell anyone. Please?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Lance. I'm not going to tell anyone." Keith smiled at him. "You're my best friend." Right. That's what they were. "I would never do that to you, Lance. Or anyone else, for that matter. It's entirely up to you what you do with this, and my opinion of you doesn't change either way."

Lance smiled at him so gratefully, relief flooding his features, and Keith's heart kind of broke. He was officially doomed, had officially fallen, and despite the bubble of guilt it produced, he couldn't help the tiny Bachelor's Button of hope beginning to bloom in his chest.

Dear God he was a selfish asshole.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will be from Lance's perspective. My bi son needs some more love.


	5. Oops.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance is an unrepentant jackass. Unless his mom is involved. Then he's just a mostly unrepentant jackass.

Lance drove back, though not like a jackass this time because a) Keith was smiling now (Nothing cheered Keith up like almost dying being a jackass, and that's how they'd left, so...fifty points to Slytherin) b) it was dark and c) they now had a pupper sitting between them.

Keith did, however, blast Highway to Hell all the way back. Kosmo, as it turned out, loved car rides as much as any other canine. So to see the reserved space wolf smiling, tongue lolling out, tail wagging was by far the best thing he'd ever seen. Well, second best. Keith, fingers woven in Kosmo's fur, singing at the top of his lungs, grin plastered on his ~~cute as fuck~~ face won out. By a lot. Which was concerning.

As the boys pulled into the yard, music still blasting, the sun was just breaking the horizon. They hadn't slept, but Lance strangely wasn't tired. He especially wasn't tired when he spotted Shiro and Iverson waiting for them. Keith turned the music down as Kosmo whined in concern.

"We are so fucked," Keith mumbled, trying to suppress his smile.

As Lance slid out of the car, keys in hand, he knew he was probably in for it. The funny thing was, Lance wasn't sorry. At all. Keith, for the time being at least, was smiling, happy, and at ease with himself and the universe. And that was worth any punishment the Dads could dish out. Hopefully.

"McClain! Kogane!" Iverson shouted, despite being only a couple metres away.

Lance saw Keith wince, rubbing his ears. Second puberty, perhaps? 

"In my office. Now."

Lance glanced at Shiro. His face was studiously expressionless. Oh, so they were going to be court martialed? Eh. Whatever. Still worth it. No one spoke on the way up to Iverson's office. Lance didn't even care about the silence. He glanced at Keith. The boy had pink in his cheeks, a bounce in his step, and a smile still on his face. Still worth it. Still not sorry. Still too cute. 

They passed Krolia in the hallway. The woman gave Lance an appraising looked and a small smile crossed her lips. Lance grinned at her. She just shook her head and smirked. At least Krolia was proud of him.

Once they reached the office, Iverson took a seat behind his desk. Shiro stood at attention next to the door. Such a good boy scout.

"So," Iverson began. " _You_ destroyed Garrison property and stole a vehicle. And  _you_ were his accomplice." Iverson leaned back in his chair. "Do you realize that if it weren't for your status as Paladins of Voltron, you would both be court martialed? As it is, I'm personally disappointed."

Okay that hurt a little bit.

"Do you have any idea how impressed I've been with both of you? The progress you've both made since last you were here? I expect better! You two have always had more potential than almost any other cadets to come through Galaxy Garrison in the last fifty years! You're Paladins of Fucking Voltron! And this is what you choose to do with yourselves?! You should both be ashamed." 

There was a knock at the door. Shiro opened it. And in walked- Oh, fuck.

In walked Camila McClain. The one person in the world who could make Lance feel bad about what he'd done with the last eighteen hours.

" _Mijo_ , have you truly done this? Did you steal a vehicle?" Camila was small. Barely five-one, and curvy in the way that meant she gave wonderful hugs. And she never, ever yelled. Instead, she got quiet, and that was even worse. He shrank a tiny bit in his seat.

Lance glanced at Keith. Camila's air of sheer disappointment seemed to have an effect on him, too. Keith shrunk down to his previous height. He seemed to curl inward on himself, the way he used to. Lance studied his shoes. Now he was repentant. Though only a little.

" _Si, mamá._ I stole the vehicle. And shot a hole in a door." Lance glanced first at Iverson, looking gruff, Shiro, looking more frustrated than anything else, and Keith, who looked like he'd been in situations like this before. Probably right before someone had decided he was too much to deal with. He looked like he just wanted to disappear. " _Quería ayudar a mi amigo_ ," he whispered.

" _¿Entonces te robaste un vehículo?_ " Camila said, voice almost pleading.

Lance nodded. He refused to be sorry, even if what he'd done was wrong.

" _Si mamá. Para ayudar a mi amigo, robé un vehículo_ ," he reiterated.

Camila sighed, shaking her head. She looked her son up and down, and Lance saw some of the disappointment fade.

"What will you do to them?" she asked Iverson.

"They are banned from Galaxy Garrison for 72 hours."

"What? But we have training! Responsibilities! You can't kick us out!" Keith shouted.

Lance put a hand on Keith's shoulder before he could launch himself at Iverson. Keith managed to contain himself. Jeez, Lance had thought him past this. Lance saw a bit of purple creeping up from underneath his shirt collar. The metamorphosis was working fast.

"Well, you don't seem to want to be here, anyway. And clearly, your responsibilities aren't that important to you, or you would have been doing that instead. So now you have my permission to shirk your duties."

Okay, now that was just unnecessary. Unlike their work with Voltron. Kosmo was of a similar mind, growling at the man. Lance felt Keith tense under his hand, and got a little angrier himself. All the people Keith loved were here at the Garrison.

"So  _you_ can head right back to that little shack you seem to like so much, and  _you_ can go see your crazy family, and you can both be out of my hair for three days. See? We're all happy." Iverson leaned back in his chair, and the matter was settled.

But Keith wouldn't be happy. He'd be miserable. Red growled in the back of Lance's brain, and Black just ached. Blue whimpered. He quieted the lions with an idea.

"Fine," Lance snapped. "We'll see you then."

Lance dragged Keith out of the room before he could throw himself at Iverson. When had this guy gotten so strong? Lance grunted, and with a final tug, managed to extract Keith. Camila and Shiro followed after them. Krolia was waiting in the hall.

"It's okay, Keith. You're not going back to your house, okay?" Lance said as gently as he could, despite the angry ranting of his friend.

"That mother _fucker_! He called my home a shack! He's just rubbing it in my face that he can throw me out whenever he wants! Like he hasn't done it before! He'd do it again."

Lance didn't question that Keith suddenly felt like defending his home. It was natural.

"Keith..." Lance tried again.

"I'd kill him before he sends me back out to that hole in the desert again!"

"Keith!" Lance all but shouted. Keith finally shut up, and let him speak. "You don't have to go to your house, okay? You can stay with us, alright? You can have Marco's room. He doesn't live in the house anymore."

Keith stared at him, violet eyes blown wide. Lance saw the underlying panic there. The memories Iverson must've brought to mind from when he was in the system, which must be where he went after that firefighter found him all those years ago.

"Seriously?"

Keith turned to look at Camila. Lance turned to her, too, pleading silently. Shiro stood just behind them all, watching. His gray eyes glanced at Krolia. What was that about? What did they know that Lance didn't?

"Well,  _mijo_. Marco and _la familia_  are visiting, so his room is taken-"

"Then he can stay in my room! I can sleep on the floor!"

"I thought you didn't like other people in your room?"

"Doesn't matter." Lance waved a hand. It actually mattered a lot. " _Mamá, no lo hagas ir a casa solo_ , _"_ he whispered. " _Es cruel._ "

Camilla nodded.

"Fine." She turned to Keith. "You are welcome in our home, Keith." She smiled warmly at him, and Keith looked genuinely surprised. "It would seem you are Lance's - _¿Cómo se dice?_ \- 'ride or die' best friend, no?"

Keith choked on a laugh at the twinkle in Camila's eye. The pun had clearly been 100 percent intentional. Lance couldn't help but smile. His mom really was that awesome.

"Oh, no. I don't think so." Oh, so Shiro had a voice of his own all of a sudden. "If you think I'm gonna let you two stay under the same roof after what you pulled-"

"Yes, they will stay," Camila interrupted. Keith's jaw dropped. "Whatever they have done, this boy does not deserve to sit out in the middle of the desert alone for 72 hours. Or do you disagree, sir?"

Shiro pressed his thumb and forefinger to the bridge of his nose. Lance noticed suddenly how...just plain unhappy Shiro looked. Maybe he'd been unfair. Maybe there was something Lance wasn't seeing.

"Fine. Fine, whatever. Just...don't do anything stupid, alright?"

Lance  _felt_ Keith relax next to him, and he sighed. Red and Black gave whatever the sentient metal robot lion-man death machine equivalent to a sigh was. Blue rejoiced, vibrant as ever.

" _Niño_ , go pack what you need." Keith fled the scene as quickly as he could, and Camila followed him. "Lance? Are you coming?"

"In a minute. I wanna talk to Shiro before we leave."

Camila followed after Keith and Krolia took her leave.

"What do you need, Lance?" Shiro asked as soon as they were alone.

"I-I just wanted to ask if you were okay? I just...I've been really shitty to you lately and you just...Shiro, you just look so unhappy, and I know we've never really been  _friends_ -friends but I-"

"I'm okay, Lance."

"Liar."

Shiro found the closest wall and slid down. Lance joined him on the floor.

"I...I lost somebody. Someone very dear to me."

"I'm so sorry, Shiro."

Shiro swallowed hard.

"I...I was going to marry him."  _Him???_ "We'd planned everything. But I got sick, and he told me...Lance, he told me he wasn't going to wait for me to die on Kerberos. And I...I've always regretted that I didn't explain myself. That I didn't tell him I was leaving so he wouldn't have to watch me die. That I loved him too much for that. Keith too."

"His name was Adam, right? Keith mentioned him." Lance didn't iterate exactly what Keith had told him.

"Yeah. Ever since I left...I've just been waiting for a chance to come home. To see him. To tell him how sorry I am. I mean, obviously I'm not sorry about what we've been doing, but I'm sorry I hurt him. That I never explained my decision. He just thought I wanted to break another record.

"But he was already gone when we got here. We were three months too late. Just three months. And I-" Shiro swallowed again. Lance saw a tear fall. Another followed. There was something scary about seeing Shiro cry. It was like seeing Iverson be cute with his wife. Some things just altered reality. "I'll never get a chance to make that right."

"Shiro..." Lance heaved a sigh. "My mom tells the story of my Dad's last day all the time. She was pregnant with me. Very. And I wasn't easy. She was sick a lot. But my father was a pilot, and he wanted to go to Pluto. So he hopped on that ship. Promised he'd be back in time for my first birthday. And he wasn't. He was vaporized when the ship hit the ozone. And my mother's last words were, 'I hate you. I hope your fucking ship blows up.' But she knows he knew she didn't mean it."

"I never knew you all were  _those_ McClains. I never asked. But you guys are-"

"Ian's kids. Yeah. Me and Veronica and Rachel and Luis and Marco."

"Holy shit. And two of you still wanted to join the Garrison. And you're a _pilot_."

"Shiro, Adam knew you loved him. I promise you. There was nothing left to say between you two." Shiro looked at him, eyes full of doubt. "People who love each other? They know that stuff. They know what the other means and is feeling."

"Iverson told him that I'd been found." Shiro put his head in his hands. "He fought the Galra here. And it killed him. And it was probably my fault. I led them here. It's my fault he's gone."

"Or they were here for Blue. Or maybe it was something else entirely. You don't know, Shiro. And you'll never know. But what I know is that Adam fought in the hope that you were still out there somewhere, and he wanted you to have something left to come home to. Either that, or he was a fucking dumbass. You tell me, Shiro. Was Adam a fucking dumbass?"

"Adam was probably the smartest person I've ever met. Outside of the Holts of course."

"Then he definitely knew you loved him, and were thinking of him. And he definitely loved you, too."

Lance left no room for argument, and Shiro didn't argue. Instead the older man turned and studied him closely.

"When did you grow up so much, Lance? I know you stole an LTATV this morning, but I'll be damned if you haven't grown up a lot."

Lance just shrugged.

"You'd better get going. Keith and your mom will be waiting."

Lance nodded. He got to his feet. As he went to walk off, he hesitated.

"I'm not sorry, by the way. I'm not sorry I stole that car."

"I know you're not. If I weren't supposed to be the sparkling example, I probably would have done the same."

Lance smiled and made to leave.

"Hey, Lance?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks. Thanks for taking care of him. And...thanks for taking care of me."

Lance smiled.

"Any time."

"Lance?"

"Yeah, Shiro?"

"Do you love him?"

Oh, fucking hell.

"I'm not going to say anything. I just want to know."

"No, Shiro. I don't love him."

And Lance walked off, thinking. Why had that felt like a lie? It wasn't a lie. Unless...oh. Oops. He'd done it again.

***

Keith was preoccupied as he packed a bag. His teeth were really hurting and his skin was itching everywhere but his back. His ears and eyes seemed rather sensitive and he swore he could smell Wolf. Which was weird because he'd snuggled up with Wolf before, and Wolf didn't have a smell. At the same time, be found he was even more impulsive than ever. In other words, metamorphosis was a bitch. Go figure.

"So..." Camilla said. "Are you and my son dating?"

Keith tripped over his Garrison uniform, still on the floor.

"What?"

"Oh, please," Camilla said, waving a hand. "I know that boy's not straight. He takes after his father."

Keith stared at her for a second before he found his voice.

"Uh...no. We're not dating. Sorry."

"Damn, I thought he might've finally found somebody." Camila paused. "Do you want to date him?"

"What?" Camila raised an eyebrow that compelled him to open his mouth. "Uh...yes? That'd be...really nice?"

"Hmph. Well, then. I guess I'll just have to meddle. Thank me later. Got everything?"

It took Keith a hot second to find anything to say.

"You know he's afraid to tell you, right?"

"Oh, yeah. But that's a decision he needs to make on his own. I expect a man brave enough to fight an intergalactic war to be brave enough to come out of the closet on his own. I'm not going to encourage him one way or the other." Camila studied him for a moment. "I would be okay with you," She decided. "You would be nice to him."

"People aren't nice to him?"

"Mhn. Not exactly. They just...it's so easy to take advantage of him. He'll bend over backwards for someone if they ask. Even moreso for someone he loves. You wouldn't take advantage of him."

"You don't even know me. And I'm taking advantage of you right now!" Keith narrowed his eyes.

This woman was weird. Weirdly nice. It made Keith more suspicious than if the woman had been entirely evil. But no, she was awesome. And nice to him. Without him having to earn it first. It just didn't feel right.

"No, you're not. My son invited you. He said he didn't want you to be alone. Said it was unkind." Camila smiled. "My Lance is such a sweet boy. Always thinking of others."

Keith couldn't help but agree. Lance was indeed extremely kind. Which was why sometimes Keith couldn't believe they were friends at all. As far as Keith could figure, he himself was a massive asshole. But Lance must trust him a lot if he was willing to let him into his home, near his family, and not worry he'd let anything slip. His thoughts were interrupted by a pair of feet running down the hall.

"Hey!" Lance slid to a stop in front of them. "Got everything?"

"Yeah. I think so." 

Keith studied his feet. Lance reached forward and stole his bag, slinging it over his own shoulder. Like mother, like son. Unnecessarily nice.

"Then let's go," he said. "We have to drive like sane people, so we should get going before Iverson comes after us to make us do push-ups or something."

Keith managed a weak laugh, and Lance offered Camila his arm. She took it, and the three headed out to the open lot beyond the bay.

***

"Thank you for agreeing to that," Shiro said to Iverson.

"Bah. Anyone could see that those two need a bit of a break. Poor kids, one having some kind of identity crisis, the other turning purple. I'd probably be in the mood for stealing a vehicle too. And Camila was totally into it, it was great." Iverson sipped his morning coffee. "They sure are cute, together eh, Shirogane? I know Kogane is a man after your fashion."

That was true. He and Keith were indeed very similar in that regard. How Iverson knew that, however, Shiro had no idea. 

"Sir, I take it then that you are aware-"

"That you've started a betting pool on those two boys? Yes. I think it's despicable. Forty bucks says you're full of shit, Shirogane."

Shiro grinned.

"You're on."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so excited by how many people are liking this fic! I'm having a ton of fun writing this, so you guys can definitely expect more!  
> I really wish this site had a Latin keyboard. Or a special characters function. Sorry about the chapter length. I know it's pretty long.


	6. Suffering for Flan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cooking feelings is an art form.

Lance's house was exactly how Keith thought it would be: homey. Two stories tall, with just enough room for a couple and five children and filled with warm colors and nostalgia, with a couple of religious icons thrown in for good measure.

Keith also spotted a picture of a young Camila in a red dress, hand-in-hand with a tall, dark-skinned man in a foreign pilot's uniform, complete with a very familiar green jacket. Ian McClain. All Keith could think about was that they looked happy, standing on that beach, red hibiscus flowers gracing Camila's long braid and a single bloom in Captain McClain's jacket pocket. He couldn't help but think of how much Lance looked like his father.

"Now, I'm sure you boys want to sleep," Camila began. "But you're being punished, so I want you two to make as much flan as you can out of the ingredients on the counter and in the fridge."

Lance nodded and turned into the kitchen. Keith caught Camila's eye and Camila winked at him. He couldn't help the tiny smile and touch of warmth in his cheeks. Camila was an absolute angel of a human being, and she had already secured Keith's undying loyalty. The moment was interrupted by a horrified shriek.

" _Mamá!_ There's so much here! This is gonna take hours!"

" _Mijo, en esta casa hablas español!"_

_"Keith no habla español, mamá. Preguntarle."_

_"Keith, hablas español?"_

"Uhh...I'm sorry, I don't understand. What did you ask me?"

Camila sighed and Lance laughed. Wolf wagged his tail.

"She asked if you speak Spanish, Mullet. But somehow I don't think you need to answer."

Keith couldn't help but give an embarrassed chuckle. Lance smiled at him. Camila put an affectionate hand on his arm.

"Not to worry then. For you, Keith, we shall speak English. Though perhaps you will come visit often. Then maybe you will learn, yes?" Keith blushed. "Mind you,  _mi familia es_ crazy, but you are always welcome here if you need a place to stay."

Keith smiled. Lance's mom really was incredibly nice. The fact that she didn't mind Wolf was an added bonus.

"Thank you, Mrs. McClain. I'd like that."

"Then make yourself at home, and your wolf. And help my son with the flan. It's for school event for the little ones, Nadia and Sylvio."

Keith nodded and headed into the kitchen. He bit back a groan at the sight of the vast sea of ingredients on the kitchen counter. He was interrupted from his despair by Camila's hands on the back of his shirt.

" _Niño_ , Are you aware your skin is turning purple?"

Lance came over to look.

"Keith, take your shirt off."

Keith hesitated, then obliged. What he saw scared him. He hadn't been as itchy the last few hours, but he hadn't expected to see the purple creeping from his back over his shoulder blades, curling around his sides, and work its way down his arms. Keith was alarmed at how fast it was spreading. By tomorrow, it would probably cover his entire body.

"Wow. I bet you butt's purple by now too," Lance speculated. 

Keith immediately grabbed the back of his jeans to prevent Lance from tying to take a peek. He was freaking out again. What was Camila going to think? Would she think he was a freak and throw him out? It was only a matter of time, but he'd like to draw this out a little bit longer if he could.

" _Mijo,_   _es normal?_ "

"Keith is half Galra, and he's apparently going through something called 'metamorphosis', which is basically like a second puberty."

"Don't call it that, what the fuck!" Keith snapped, yanking his long-sleeved shirt back on.

"Will he-Keith, will you be alright?" Camila asked, looking at him with concern.

"He's fine," Lance supplied. "He's just freaking out about it unnecessarily."

"Yeah, Mrs. McClain. I'm fine," Keith said, voice wavering a little.

Mrs. McClain didn't seem convinced.

"Well, if you're sure. You boys get started. I have some work I need to do. Let me know if you need anything.  _La familia_ will be around later today."

Camila abandoned the boys with a mountain of Keith's worst enemy: milk. Specifically, evaporated milk, which Keith was sure was probably worse than normal milk. But there was a bigger concern.

"Lance? Just how big is your family?"

"Well, there's Marco and his wife, Lisa, and their twins, Nadia and Sylvio. My other brother, Luis, Veronica and Rachel, my twin older sisters,  _mis_   _abuelos_ , and me. Only I technically live here. But Marco and Lisa have a room, my mom has her room, the twins are probably in Vero's room, and  _mis abuelos_ have Rachel's room, so my room is the only one that doesn't have anybody in it. Except for Luis, but he has really bad PTSD, and he's got his room all set up in a special way, so we don't touch it. It's his safe spot when he's here."

"So where is everybody?"

"Well, the twins will be at school. Marco and Lisa are probably at breakfast with  _mis abuelos_ , Rachel went back to New York for school-she only had time for a quick visit-Luis has his own place in New Mexico. Vero's at the Garrison, of course. I guess Marco and Company are still here because he and Lisa are both first responders. Before the kids, they traveled the world, offering relief from natural disasters...I haven't seen them since I got out of the hospital. Been too busy."

Keith watched Lance caramelize sugar on the stove. Keith would definitely screw this up. Not cooking (although that was also true), but dealing with Lance's family. He'd never really had a family. The majority of his life he'd had some bland, financially comfortable couple looking for a blandly perfect child to help complete their version of the American Dream. And of course, Keith had invariably  _not_ been that child.

"Hey," Lance whispered, bumping his hip against Keith's. "It's gonna be fine. You've got nothing to worry about. Metamorphosis isn't the end of the world you think it is, and my family is really nice. And talkative, so all you need to do is smile when they say 'hi' and then listen. And then in..." Lance checked his watch. "69 -heh- hours, you can book it on out here, alright?"

"No, no, it's not that I...I just...Ugh! Why am I so bad at this?! Wait, that's the problem. I'm just really bad at this. Like, bad at people."

"Keith," Lance said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "You have nothing to worry about. Yeah, you could probably use some practice dealing with people, but my family is really nice. Don't forget, _Mamá_  is happy you're here. This isn't-"

"Yeah, they always start out that way," Keith snarled. "And then they learn their lesson."

Keith balled his hands into fists and ground his aching teeth. What was his deal? He hadn't felt like this in ages. He hadn't felt this angry in years now. Not since the beginning, when Lance had flown them into a wormhole. Now, he flinched at his own words and Lance froze. The silence stretched between them, and the scent of burnt sugar filled the empty space that had so recently been home to camaraderie. After a long minute, Lance sighed and began trying to scrape out the burnt caramel.

"Well," he whispered. "I haven't learned yet, have I? Then again, I started out not wanting you, so maybe I just get to do things backwards, huh?" 

Lance, wielding a small smile and empyrean blue eyes, finished scraping out the pot and started over. Like it was nothing. Like he hadn't just uttered the single most life-changing idea anyone ever had. Like he hadn't just shattered Keith's entire world right there in the McClain family kitchen at 0830 hours, making some weird food Keith had never heard of, over a pot of burnt sugar.

"What?" Keith managed to choke out.

"I didn't want you at the start, remember? I hated your guts and made sport from making fun of you. But when you left...I don't know, I just really missed having you around. Like, somewhere along the way, I actually grew to really like having you there. You're smart, and strong, and have your own quiet sense of humor. And I didn't realize how much we all needed that until you were gone. But we did." Lance turned to him, smiling softly. He picked up the caramel and poured it out into a pan before he could ruin it. "I'm really glad we've got you back, buddy."

Keith stared at the boy. Part of him wanted to cry. Someone genuinely wanted him around. Unconditionally. That wasn't Shiro. That was Lance. Wolf shifted at his feet, looking between the two boys. Keith swallowed hard, managing to find words.

"I-I'm glad to be back."

And he was. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys are enjoying this! I know I am!  
> Find me on Tumblr at emotionalklance-stipation  
> Also, if anyone knows how to fuckin' use Tumblr, let me know bc I am technology's worst nightmare and the feeling is mutual *cries is 20yo ludite*


	7. This is Home(?): Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Home is where your heart is, Lance. Remember that.

Making the insane amount of flan had taken the rest of the morning and half of the afternoon. Which was fine by Keith because it gave him something to do while he freaked the fuck out and internalized said freaking the fuck out. 

It seemed that the Metamorphosis, now Second Puberty ("What about second puberty?" "I'm just impressed you had the attention span to sit through Lord of the Rings."), did not only affect him physically. Not only were his canines now wiggly (Keith swore they were getting wigglier as the day wore on), his skin now purple over about 70% of his body, and his senses seemingly heightened, but Second Puberty seemed to affect him emotionally as well.

Keith found that every emotion he felt was sharper, more distinct, amplified. Which was bad, because most of the time, all Keith ever felt was the crushing emotional distress caused by 20-ish years of abandonment issues and loneliness. Those emotions in turn made him defensive, short of temper, and occasionally, mean.

Which is why Lance, who was being uncharacteristically patient and unwaveringly kind, was freaking him out a little bit. Like, Keith would be a dick and Lance would smile, instead of threatening to stick him in a wormhole. For example:

"Lance, I don't know how to make this shit. I don't even know what it is!"

"It's flan?" Smile.

"You say that like it's so fucking obvious! Is this wobbly thing even an actual food?"

"Yeah. It's a custard. It's honestly my favorite dessert." Soft smile.

"It looks like something that tried to eat me while on a mission! I'm not having it."

"Okay." Smile. "I'll save some for you, though, in case you change your mind later." Smile. "I'll save you a bit of the regular, and some of the orange, so you can try both. But make sure you take some lactase pills, so you don't get sick from all the milk, okay?" Smile.

And those weren't the only feelings that were being amplified.

Take now, for example. At 1600 hours, they were in Lance's room, finally getting some rest. " _La familia_ " wasn't here yet, and Camila had promised that she would make sure they kept it down so the boys could sleep. Keith himself hadn't slept in a few days, thanks to his itching skin keeping him up. Now, most of his skin only itched where the scabs from his scratching were beginning to get dry.

So he lay on an incredibly uncomfortable cot on the floor, trying to fall asleep, only to discover a massive problem: the entire room smelled like Lance. And Lance, apparently, smelled fucking amazing, like the way the air smells right before it rains, and the entire world is holding its breath waiting for it to fall. And then there was something else entirely, kind of salty, but also fresh, and not entirely distinct from the pre-rain smell, like they were meant to go together.

And now he was laying on a cot in Lance's room, staring at a bunch of glow-in-the-dark star stickers, and the fairy lights lining the edges of the walls and ceiling, meditating on Lance's smell. This was it. This was how he died. In the middle of an existential crisis, half drunk on the smell of another boy. What a time to be alive.

Keith rolled over and stared at the source of his demise. Lance lay curled up on his bed, breathing in softly and slowly, eyes fluttering under his lids, already dreaming. His face was so peaceful, so innocent, so serene. Keith's frown only deepened, realizing how perfect an illusion it was. He found himself focusing on Lance's steady breathing, the rise and fall of his side. After a while, he drifted off, wondering if he should be ashamed, or maybe even apologize to Lance that he'd fallen asleep listening to the boy breath.

...

Keith woke up in the pitch black of night to Wolf licking and tugging softly at his hand, whimpering. As he opened his eyes, he registered that it was late enough that the sun had gone down, and the glow-in-the-dark stars weren't glowing anymore. He could hear someone crying softly. As he sat up, he immediately turned to Lance, registering his form in the dark. As Keith's eyes rapidly adjusted, he could make out the shaking of Lance's body, the way he had his hands over his eyes. The broken look on his face.

"Lance? Lance, what's wrong?"

Keith got up and sat on the edge of the bed. He placed his hand on the boy's back and moved it in circles, the way his father used to do when Keith had been very, very young.

"It's nothing. I'm sorry. I-I shouldn't cry like this." 

Lance pulled his hands away from his face and stared at the wall behind Keith.

"Why not? Because you're a soldier? Please, Lance. Tell me what's wrong."

Keith could feel the lions in the back of his mind, concerned for their lynch pin paladin. Red and Blue were particularly worried. Keith smiled. Blue's lasting affection for Lance was something he loved. He could definitely relate. He could relate to Red's fierce protectiveness, too.

"It's just..." Lance scooted toward the wall to give Keith more room to sit. "I waited so long to return to Earth. Like, so long. I thought about coming home every day. And I missed Earth and my family so much. But..."

"But what?" Keith asked, with a sinking feeling. He was pretty sure he already knew what.

"But this isn't my home anymore. I...I'm different now. Earth isn't enough for me anymore. I don't really belong here anymore. I know I should just give it time, but honestly, I'm really starting to think I'm just visiting."

Keith looked down at Lance. He knew how much Lance had always wanted to come home. Not in the same way Hunk did, who was miserable and hated war (not that anyone _liked_ war). But in the way one does when he has a massive family that encompasses his entire world and he just wants to see them.

"I was worried, y'know? That Earth might be overrun. That something bad might happen. That I would be forgotten. And I know it sounds dumb but...I don't belong here anymore. I'm a guest in my own home, on my own planet. Hunk and Shiro and Pidge are at home here, but me? I guess I'm just too different now. Too much has changed."

Keith didn't argue. He'd discussed Lance's growth and development as a person with Shiro the day of the training "incident" (AKA that one time Keith got jealous over nothing) and Keith had honestly suspected that this might happen. Lance had taken to exploring space like a fish to water, as much as he might try to resist the currents. The only question really was what he could do here and now to help Lance.

"Lance, if I sleep on that cot, I won't be able to walk tomorrow. Scoot over." Keith paused. "You could use the company."

Lance's blue eyes found his in the dark, though Keith could see the boy didn't know it. He scooted over, and Keith grabbed the pillow off his cot. He threw himself down beside Lance.

"You're not a blanket hog, are you?"

"Um. Probably, to be honest. If you need more, just impale me on your sword or something. Feed me to Kosmo. Whatever."

Keith chuckled.

"I'm gonna be honest, I thought it'd be your family, not you, that woke me up."

"Heh. Sorry about that," Lance sniffled. Keith shrugged beside him. "But yeah, I kinda figured the same. Mom must've threatened them with flan deprivation."

"I hope there's some left. I've never had a custard before."

"I put your name on yours. How can you never have had a custard?"

"Dad never had sweets in the house. Shiro never had sweets. The Home never had money for sweets. The only candy I've ever had is Lifesavers."

"And chocolate, right?"

Keith ransacked his memory. Oh.

"No. I've never had chocolate before."

"WHAT?" Lance all but yelled.

"Shhhh. No, I don't think I have. Is it good?"

"It's amazing, and you're having some. No arguments. We're gonna go to Walmart and buy a shit load of different candy. I'd say ice cream, since you've probably been deprived of that too, but then you'd know what you're missing." 

"I've had ice cream. It hates me. I bet flan hates me too." Keith sighed, snuggling into the shared warmth. He'd never shared a bed with anyone before. It was cozy, even if they weren't touching. "I hope it's worth suffering for."

"Rachel is lactose intolerant. We keep pills for her. You can have some."

"Nice. They're like sprinkles, man. They make everything better."

Lance laughed. Keith could hear that sleepy tone in his voice. He was suddenly proud of himself. He'd managed to get Lance to calm down and start falling back to sleep. This was just what a leader was supposed to do for his team. Especially his right hand man. Right? While Keith reasoned his way through his questionable life decisions, Lance was drifting on the edge of sleep. The boy gave a sleepy sigh.

"You're like sprinkles, Keith."

Keith swallowed hard. That was...obviously due to Lance's sleep-fogged state, but still. It was a weird statement, but Keith was affected by it nonetheless. Given Lance's dreamy state, he probably couldn't have been lying, and that made it even more precious. Well, there was only one thing Keith could do.

"You're sprinkles too, Lance."

Lance sighed, and his breathing leveled out. Keith made a mental note that, should he ever get lucky in life, he would share this story. Lucky or not, he'd definitely be telling Shiro-no. No. No, he would NOT be telling Shiro.

Fucking Second Puberty.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So who else is permanently tired?


	8. Swiss Chocolate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMER: This fic contains fluff that may cause you to smile like a dumbass, so reading on public transportation is not recommended.  
> DISCLAIMER: This author does not recommend eating excessive amounts of candy, trespassing on military property, grand theft Voltron Lion, or crossing international lines without passport. The author does not in any way condone such behavior and cannot be held responsible should a reader be prosecuted, for this chapter summary shall be entitled "Exhibit A".

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're gonna pretend it would be cold enough in Switzerland, okay? Let me have this.
> 
> Also, no one can tell me that this isn't exactly how Walmart patrons would react to Galra!Keith.

Lance woke up embarrassed. Granted, this wasn't the first time that had happened, but this was the first time that alcohol hadn't been involved. So why was he embarrassed? He'd cried in front of his team leader, then snuggled up to him all night. And he'd stolen the blankets. Whoops.

He gazed at Keith. His face was purple now. Lance knew Keith would probably hate it, but he thought it suited the boy. Being half-Galra suited him. The peaceful look on the older boy's face suited him too, even if it was a little weird. But the longer Lance looked, the more it came to his attention that something was wrong. There was a tiny bit of dark red at the corner of Keith's mouth. Lance's first thought was to panic and worry his best friend was dead. 

 _Best friend?_ Right. Keith was the Black Paladin now. That mean Lance was instinctively attached to him in some way. He was the right hand. But he supposed "best friend" was better than "current second best pilot". Lance and Shiro had just never been that close.

"Keith?" Lance asked, shaking the boy gently on his shoulder, embarrassment forgotten.

Keith stirred, and this only worried Lance more. He was alive, but there was blood on the pillow beneath him. And not just a tiny "I bit my tongue during a nightmare" amount of blood. Lance was familiar with that. This was more like an "I bit my entire tongue off" amount of blood.

"Keith!" Lance cried, shaking the boy harder. 

Keith's eyes shot open, and he pulled his knife out from under his pillow.

"What?! What is it?! What's wrong?!"

Keith's eyes landed on the pillow and immediately did a funny thing with his mouth. He winced.

"Ah. My canines fell out. Sorry, I should have warned you that might happen. They'd been getting wigglier all day yesterday."

Keith climbed out of bed, removing the pillow and checking the sheets. Fortunately, there was no more blood.

"Quiznak. I think I swallowed them."

"Are you okay?" Lance asked, worried.

"Yeah. I lost four sets of teeth as a kid. I know the drill."

"You lost four sets of teeth, yet you claim you've never been to a dentist."

"Dad was only around for the first set, so no big deal. All kids lose a set of teeth. I was still in foster homes for the rest of them. They didn't notice. Or at least, they didn't say anything. And I never bothered to tell them. Shiro tried his best to look out for me, but he and Adam were both teaching, so they were super busy..."

Keith shifted uncomfortably where he stood, still in his pajamas. Lance knew that, had it not been for Keith's altered state, he would've said nothing, or acted like it didn't matter. But right now, as the boy studied the fluffy, navy blue floor rug and the dented hardwood beneath it, it was clear that it _had_ mattered. That Keith had probably wanted someone to notice, to say something. And no one had.

Lance considered that. He wasn't sure which was worse: having a caretaker who didn't notice you were losing teeth at a weird age, or having a caretaker who did notice and chose not to do anything. What about teachers? A social worker? Had really no one noticed or chosen to do something? Why hadn't anyone tried to help? Why hadn't anyone cared? It was upsetting. And it stopped with Lance.

"Well, how about we get dressed? Then we can get you some tylenol and some breakfast. After that, we're going to Walmart to buy a shit ton of different candy for you to try."

"That...that would be great. Thank you," Keith said, brightening a little.

Lance smiled as he picked out a pair of jeans and a blue button down. He wondered if maybe, while they were here, he could give Keith at least a few good memories of Earth that he could take with him.

...

"So what the hell is a Walmart? And are you sure it's okay for me to go to one, given that I'm purple and my eyes are yellow?"

The realization that his sclera had turned yellow had been even harder than his skin. It was something that Keith related to animals and monsters. not to people. But Lance had shrugged it off like it hadn't mattered and dragged him away from the mirror, downstairs for breakfast, and onto his hoverbike.

So now, Keith sat behind Lance on his blue hoverbike, trying not to enjoy himself too much (although he totally was), making a note for them to go back to his place and take back his own. But for now, he resisted the urge to lay his head between Lance's shoulder blades and wrap his arms around the slender waist. Even with all the control he managed to maintain, he couldn't help sliding forward until he was pressed right up against the smaller boy. He couldn't help it. Lance was really warm, and Keith liked the way it felt to be close to him. He blamed it on the wind chilling him and the lack of human contact he'd suffered his entire life.

"Dude, it's a Walmart. Literally, a store that exists on its own plane. If anyone gives two shits that you're purple, I'll honestly be surprised."

That...that was a terrifying idea. What kind of place didn't care if some guy with purple skin and an obnoxious, over-enthused Latino with little to no impulse control go in and buy a shitload of different candy? If they tried to kill him, he'd be less concerned.

So when they walked inside, and Lance grabbed a shopping cart, Keith braced himself for an angry mob. And when nothing came his way but a few weird looks, he immediately wanted to leave. The harsh lighting didn't help. It hurt his eyes.

But Lance seemed completely unperturbed. Like the idea of Keith being almost normal for a Walmart was of no surprise to him whatsoever. Instead, the Latino grabbed him by the arm and started dragging him off toward the food section.

"Do you know what Nutella is?"

"I think I might've heard of it once. It sounded...nice? I guess? I don't know. It's chocolate, and-"

"You've been deprived. I'm aware. And we're getting some. A lot of some. What about hot chocolate? It's a drink."

"Lance, what if I don't like chocolate? Then all of this stuff would go to waste."

Lance considered that, and then turned around and headed toward the check-out. He inspected the candy display.

"I'll buy this one," Lance said, picking up a bar that said Dove on it in stupid loopy letters. "If you like it, we'll continue. If not, well, I guess maybe we can still be friends."

Keith tried to remind himself that Lance was joking, but it was hard. He was emotional, stressed, paranoid, and fucking purple. Not conducive to confidence of any sort.

Lance came back a minute later, holding an absurdly long strip of paper and the packaged sweet. He unwrapped it and handed it to Keith, who took a hesitant bite, wincing as it hit one of the sores where his new (noticeably sharper) canines were already growing in. But the pain was soon forgotten.

"Oh my God." Keith savored the candy. "Holy fuck, this is amazing."

Keith devoured the rest, not the least bit sorry he hadn't bothered to try and save any for Lance. Mainly because Lance was laughing his ass off. 

"Told you you'd been deprived!" Lance laughed, clearly overjoyed and pleased with himself. "That's not even the best stuff! Come on! We're gonna be here a while, I think!"

And they were. Lance dragged Keith to an entire aisle filled with different kinds of chocolate, with different flavors and designs. After mulling it over and picking some that looked promising, Lance pulled him away to look at other candy. These came in brightly colored boxes or sealed bags. 

Keith tried his best to not be overwhelmed or awkward about the situation. But there was so much here and Lance had to be spending a lot of money. On him. In any case, his brain hurt. And his heart, but what else was new?

"So the only candy I've ever had are lifesavers."

"Did you like lifesavers?"

"I guess." They'd been candy, a rare enough treat that it wouldn't have mattered either way. Keith still would've eaten as many as he could snatch just for the luxury of having them. "They were kinda hard, I remember not liking that they were crunchy? But it was candy, so it was practically a currency when we had it."

Lance nodded, thinking for a moment, before selecting almost twenty different things. The amount of actual thought he was putting into all of it was honestly mind-blowing. Keith hadn't realized how much of a big deal it was that he had never really eaten candy. He'd never missed it before. It wasn't like there was some massive space in his identity where candy should be.

Or at least, he hadn't thought there was. Three hours later, in Lance's living room, surrounded by an insane amount of candy, Keith realized that there was indeed a candy-shaped hole in his heart. Candy was amazing. It was clearly terrible for him, and his stomach was queasy from a hitherto unknown amount of sugar and the milk from the chocolate, but Keith wasn't sorry. Chocolate was amazing. Twizzlers, despite being utterly disgusting, were amazing. Mike & Ikes were mind-blowing. Starbursts, life-changing. Keith was pretty sure he would commit murder for Swedish Fish. And don't even get him started on Jelly Beans. He'd sell himself on the street corner for a bag of Jelly Bellys. And he may or may not have pocketed all of the Milky Way bars. Now all he wanted to do was try the Nutella.

As the four of them cleaned up the mess, putting the leftover candy (they'd only sampled everything) into the zipper bags that Lance had thankfully thought to purchase, Camila can home from work.

_"¡Ay Dios mío! ¡Lance! ¿Por qué hay dulces por todo el piso?!"_

_"¡Lo siento mamá!_  Keith and I were trying different candy! He's never eaten candy!"

Camila just stared at her son, eyes wide.

"So you went to the store and bought an entire mountain of it just for him to try? Are you insane?"

"Um. Maybe a little? But it doesn't matter! I payed for it, so-"

"Well, Keith, did you at least like it?"

Keith was surprised when Camila asked. Since when had it mattered so much if he  _liked_ something that was given to him?

"Yes, ma'am. I did."

Camila appraised him for a moment, then sighed.

"Fine, just get it cleaned up. And  _Mijo_ , next time you decide to go on a candy bender, do so in your room, so the twins won't know. Keith, what would you like to eat tonight?"

Again, Keith stared. What did he  _like_ to eat? What did  _he_ like to eat? It was then that Keith realized he was 20-ish years old, purple, with yellowed eyes, and no one, not even Shiro, had ever really asked what he wanted for anything. Shiro had given him options, sure, but it had always been between a few choices. It wasn't his fault, of course. Shiro wasn't his guardian, so he'd never been able to actually do too much in the way of giving him anything. He'd been more of a mentor most of the time.

But the problem was, as much as Keith wanted to take this opportunity now that it had presented itself, he had no idea how to answer. He'd just never bothered to care. He took what clothes were offered. He ate whatever was put in front if him. He'd accepted whatever he was given. Keith had never once in his life dared to even think the words "I like 'blank'" or "can we have 'blank'". And now, he didn't even know how.

"Food is just food, to me, Mrs. McClain. I-I don't really have any preferences."

Lance seemed to grasp what the problem was. Keith wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

"Is there a kind of food you've wanted to try or haven't had before? I'd be willing to bet you'd like that."

Keith considered that. 

"If it's bad for you, I haven't had it," he said finally.

"Have you ever had pizza?" Lance pressed.

"Nope."

"Pizza it is. Mom?"

"I'm on it."

Camila stared at Keith, and shook her head, grumbling something about deprivation.

"Is there anything you've wanted to do, but have never been able to?" Lance asked out of the blue.

"Uhh..." Keith thought for a moment. "I don't know. All the stuff I've ever done is either illegal or boring, to be honest."

Lance sat back against the couch. He seemed deep in thought. Then his face lit up.

"Wanna go ice skating? It's super fun and athletic, so you might like it!" Keith just stared. Why ice skating? But then again, why not? "You could see snow! Feel the cold! That's something you wanted to do, right?! We should totally go!"

"Lance," Keith said, reluctant to burst the boy's bubble. And his own. "I'm kinda purple, and unless ice skating rinks are also run by Walmart, I probably wouldn't be welcome."

Lance's face fell, and it honestly broke Keith's heart a little. And then it lit up like the Fourth of July.

"Here's what we're gonna do. We're gonna sneak into the Garrison, grab Red, because he's the warmest, and we're gonna go to Switzerland. I have skates of my own, and you can borrow Marco's."

Keith just stared. He reached out to Red and Black, and found that not only they, but all five of the lions were excited. They thought it sounded awesome.

"C'mon, Keithy-boy! It'll be great. You'll get to see snow, and mountains, and you'll get to try something new and exciting and fun, and you'll get to sneak into the Garrison! It's like, four winners for you right there! Plus, ice skates are basically knife shoes, so you'll love them."

Keith couldn't help but laugh. He could tell that Lance was kind of making fun of him, but in all honesty, his plan really was appealing. For many reasons.

"Let's do it. As long as you have a coat or something that I can wear. Because I will probably freeze."

"Alright! So it's..." Lance pulled out his phone to check something. "...eight hours ahead in Switzerland. So if we head out now, and take my speeder, we can be there by midnight, find a nice frozen lake, and..." He trailed off, everything else already obvious to him.

...

Stealing Red had been almost disappointingly easy. Which was fair. It was 1600 hours, so almost everyone was either training or working.

Only Griffin was out, clearly having come back from an extra practice. Sweat had plastered his hair to his forehead and he was still breathing heavily. Keith fought back the urge to impale him on the chain-link fence post. Stupid Griffin with his stupid not-at-all-an-alien-freak good looks. How dare he?

"What are you two doing here? I thought you guys were banned from premises?" Griffin gave Keith a cursory examination. Then turned to Lance like he didn't at all matter.

"We're here to steal Red," Lance said casually. "Then, we're going ice skating." He leaned back against Keith, and Keith did his very best not to blush. He failed. 

Griffin stared at the two of them, almost bored.

"Fine, whatever. Just, when Iverson tries to replace you, know you've brought it on yourself."

"He can try," Lance said with a grin. "It won't work."

"He's already tried," Keith grumbled. "More than once."

Griffin smirked and walked off, saying, "I was never here. I saw nothing."

And they were off. Keith changed into the clothes they'd brought first. Then, to his delight, Lance and Red let him pilot the rest of the way to Switzerland. Red took his time (so, about fifteen minutes) getting there, catching Keith up to speed on how much he and Lance had been improving. By the time they arrived, Keith had never been more proud of his ~~favorite~~ teammate.

Switzerland was dark. And still. And the lake of choice was quiet, devoid of other people. He saw a pack of wolves in the distance, breath silhouetted by the moonlight and the indigo sky. Keith stared out the glass, mesmerized. Green and pink ribbons twisted through the heavens. The moon hung low in the sky, engorged and languid over the massive expanse of white in front of him. He drank in the glittering void above him. He absorbed the mountain range to his left. He scarcely dared to breathe, afraid it might somehow disappear.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Lance whispered.

"Yeah," Keith sighed.

Lance grabbed him by the arm and helped him pull the skates on. They were old and a bit worn out, but Lance assured him they would suffice. His own were practically new, and Keith wondered how long it had taken Lance to save up for them. If he'd earned them somehow.

"Marco got his when he graduated high school. I got mine when I was accepted into the Garrison. There's a rink in town. Or there was when we left. It's gone now..."

Lace's voice faded. He looked sad.

"Well, there's an entire lake in Switzerland, so let's get out there." He was trying. Really. He just wasn't the comforting type of person. But he could try.

It seemed to work, because Lance smiled and helped him up, and they walked down the side ramp together. Lance, somehow graceful and fluid, walking on the blades, Keith, wobbling and holding onto Lance for support. At the edge of the ramp, Lance turned, guiding Keith onto the ice.

The cold hit Keith as soon as he stepped off the ramp. It bit at his cheeks and nose and he was immediately grateful Lance had insisted on the scarf as well as the beanie. The crisp air filled his lungs and they seemed to double in size with every inhalation. 

Keith slid one foot forward on the ice, and he immediately began to fall. Lance caught him and guided him back upright.

"Heh. Careful, Mullet. Here," Lance said, letting go of one of Keith's hands to skate next to him. "Push your foot out to the side, not forward."

Keith made an attempt and was so surprised at his forward progress that he almost fell again. Again, Lance caught him. It felt so weird, just sliding around on the pristine surface. He could see the scratches where other people had been skating earlier, but now, it was just the two of them. Just him and Lance.

It was all Keith could do to think about nothing else. He was grinning, and his teeth hurt from their exposure to the cold. He could see his breath crystallize in the air, could feel it freeze his lungs. He could feel Lance's gloved hand in his own, the ice sliding beneath his feet. Silent snowflakes drifted through the air, sparkling in front of his eyes. As Keith and Lance paused for a short break, he saw them catch on Lance's long, dark lashes. The stars above glittered in his eyes, ribbons of color dancing across the sea of blue.

Lance was smiling at him, eyes soft and warm, and it took everything Keith had not to get lost. The stillness, the silence around them amplified everything. He could hear Lance's quickened breath. Could smell the chocolate they were still pulling out of their pockets, taste it in the air on his tongue. He wondered if Lance's mouth tasted like it. He wanted to know. He really, really wanted to know.

But then they were moving again, and Keith remembered: Lance didn't want anyone else to know. He didn't want to explore this part of himself. He just wanted to try and be "normal". Accepted. Loved. And Keith, who'd had plenty of trouble and hardship in regards to his sexuality, couldn't blame him for trying. And so he would help. He'd keep his feelings to himself. 

But all the same, he enjoyed skating with Lance. He enjoyed the gentle smile on Lance's face. He enjoyed their fingers laced together. He enjoyed replacing his skates with boots and standing at the peak of one of the mountains. They sat there together, watching the sky lighten, hips and legs pressed together in an effort to limit the cold. He laughed softly into the silence when Lance took yet more mint chocolate out of his jacket, and a thermos of hot cocoa. He relished the moment when the moon set and the sun rose directly over the lake and Lance sighed at the beauty of it. Keith couldn't help but agree. The way the sun smiled on Lance's face might have been the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen.

And it really was a good memory. One he'd hold onto while he traveled the void of space alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Told ya this was self-indulgent. Indulge, my children. Indulge. The Glow Cloud (All Hail) approves.  
> RIP Stan Lee, I will love and miss you always.


	9. Event 2: Morning(,) People

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Ah, fuck. I can't believe you've done this."
> 
> -Keith and Lance, to each other, at any given moment of any given day, regarding the feelings they catch for the other

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warnings:  
> -Heavy use of google translate

They arrived back at the house around 0100 hours. Everyone was asleep. Except Kosmo, who was waiting for them, tail wagging, happy to see them. Lance really liked the wolf. He was cute and fluffy and helped keep Keith safe. Which was good because Keith was a dumbass who was liable to pull stupid stunts at any given moment. Lance appreciated Kosmo's help in keeping their annoyingly fearless leader alive.

Upstairs, Lance and Keith kicked of their shoes, duffel bag of outerwear discarded on the cot. Lance replaced Keith's pillow with a clean one and threw himself down on the bed with a tired sigh, facing the wall. Keith climbed up beside him, dragging his own blanket up with him.

"I knew you were a blanket hog, Sharpshooter. I was fucking freezing when I woke up this morning."

"Shut it, Samurai. I warned you." Lance grinned into his pillow, drawing his own blanket around him.

"Yeah, but I figured you were exaggerating. But no, you stole all the blankets and let your leader freeze to death."

Lance hit him with his pillow. He wasn't surprised when Keith retaliated.

"Lance?"

"Yeah?"

"There's no way I'm gonna be able to avoid your family for another...twenty-something hours, is there?"

"No. You'll probably have to meet them tomorrow." Silence. "Keith, you don't have to worry.  _Mi familia_ is just like me: they love everybody."

"You hated me," Keith whispered.

Oh, fuck. That was clearly still bothering him. Thinking about it now, it kinda bothered Lance, too. He'd been a real asshole to Keith, and that had caused some real damage. And that damage was still there. Lance could feel it when they formed Voltron. There was still a hesitation there, a caution. A tiny barrier that kept the two of them from truly coming together.

Lance rolled over onto his side and met those violet, now slightly reflective eyes.

"I never hated you, Keith. I-"

"Yes you did. Don't lie to me!"

The pain, the hurt was brought to the surface so suddenly, and so very raw, that Lance flinched with his entire body. Lance turned to see him, face pinched with hurt. He pulled his knees to his chest summoning his courage to speak.

"I wanted to  _be_ you. I wanted to be the best. Just once. And being a pilot, going into space? That was my dream, ever since _Mamá_  put me in my father's jacket and told me how he went to space to meet the stars. You were everything I wanted to be, what I  _should have been_ , if only I had been good enough. If only I had been better. But instead, I got by on a lucky break. The person that should have been me flunked out, and I was the last resort pick. And I still sucked. Everyone said so. So I smirked, and brushed it off, and told everyone to just wait and see and someday I'd be the best. But I never believed it. And I was never anybody's first choice." Lance paused, then whispered a final admission. "It wasn't even my grades that got me into the Garrison, Keith. I didn't even have that."

"Then how-"

"I got in because I was a musical prodigy, and they thought it would mean I was good at pattern recognition. I'm not."

There was a long silence.

"Music, huh? Music's something I actually know I like."

Keith smiled sleepily at him, and Lance blurted out, "The Garrison has a grand piano. I'll play when we get back."

Keith sighed into his pillow. He snuggled down beneath his blanket. He was having trouble keeping his eyes open. The sight made Lance smile. He wished he could help this.

"I'd like that. I bet you're great." Lance was so busy processing, he almost didn't catch his next words. "Hey, Lance?"

"Yeah?"

"I really wish you remembered the bonding moment."

"Yeah, so do I."

And Lance meant it. As Keith's eyes finally drifted closed, Lance brushed aside the boy's hair. He spotted the tufts of hair growing from the crest of his pinna, like a lynx. Lance smiled. He'd have to remember that analogy when Keith freaked out about it. Lynx were badass, right?

Lance watched as Keith's face softened with sleep. He honestly looked really sweet. Camila used to say that you could see how people really were when they slept. He wasn't sure if that was true for everyone, but he was beginning to suspect that it was for Keith. He actually was a really sweet, soft guy. It was just buried under a lot of hurt.

As his eyelids grew heavy, itching with his effort to keep them open, he smiled. This wouldn't last, and it wouldn't become anything more (it couldn't), but still. Lance would enjoy it while he could. It would give him something to hold onto when they inevitably parted ways.

...

_Lance's vision was blurry, his thoughts hazy. His entire body was in pain. Every breath felt like a knife in his side and his head throbbed._

_He was walking down a hallway. No, he was being carried, his head nestled in the junction of someone's shoulder and neck. The person was whispering softly, so softly only they could hear._

_"I've got you, Lance. Don't worry." The grip shifted, cradling Lance to their chest. "Hang on for me, alright? We're almost there."_

_"Keith?"_

_"Yeah, Sharpshooter. It's me. You're gonna be okay."_

_More walking. Lance could see the pod, fuzzy in the distance._

_"I'm gonna take care of you, Lance. I promise. Do you hear me? I promise."_

...

Lance woke up only a few hours later. He lay there, contemplating the dream. He'd had it before. He sometimes wondered if it was the bonding moment or just a stupid dream. He wondered if Keith had been the one to first call him "Sharpshooter".

He sighed in frustration. He might or might not remember the boding moment, but he remembered what it felt like when his body was trained to wake up at the asscrack of dawn whether he'd had enough sleep or not. Stupid Krolia enforcing early rising. Lance should've know it'd become a habit. Stupid Keith, snuggled right up against him-wait, what?

Keith Kogane, his team leader, was snuggled right up against him, somehow underneath Lance's blanket. Like, right up against him. Were it not for the fact that Keith's arms were tucked to his chest, they would've been legit spooning.  _Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuck-_

Keith moaned.

"Mornin'" he mumbled.

"Um. Morning, Keith. You're...cuddly...today."

"Mnh." A pause. "Do you want me to move?"

 _No, I do not!_ But he probably should. So Lance moved, rolling onto his back and turning to Keith just in time to register the strange look on the other's face, when-

Lance wasn't even sure how it happened, but suddenly, Keith was on top of him, straddling his hips. Lance stared up in surprise, Keith holding his wrists, keeping Lance's hands over his head. The other boy's eyes were blown wide, irises almost entirely obscured by his expanded pupils. Lance saw something dark there, glittering in the depths. And worse, Lance liked seeing it there. He wanted to see _more_. Suddenly, Lance wanted to see  _everything_. But...he was in his  _familia's_ house. He didn't dare.

Keith's breathing came rapidly. He leaned down over Lance, rolling his hips ever so slightly and Lance swallowed a moan. Unfortunately, Keith still somehow heard it, and snapped back to himself.

"Did you just-"

"Fuck, you noticed."

"Oh my God, I didn't even mean-" Keith's face flushed. "How did I even-  What the fuck did I just do?!"

"Shhh! Do you want  _mi familia_ to hear you?!" Lance hissed.

Lance's face flushed with heat. That fire was back. The one from that training incident. The one that burned in his stomach and then spread lower...

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I somehow ended up pressed right up against you and then my mind kind of just blanked and now you just-"

" _Quiet!_ " Lance hissed again. "They'll hear us!"

"What do we do now? We can't just  _undo_ what just happened!" Keith whispered.

The boy was clearly horrified. He hadn't even meant to do what he'd done. Which was something Lance had suspected from the get go. It was the stupid Second Puberty messing with Keith's...well, everything really. The poor guy was an absolute fucking mess.

"Okay. Well...Obviously, we just forget it happened." Keith nodded, sitting back. Which was a mistake, because there was that friction again, making them both shiver. Keith inhaled sharply. They both took a moment to reorganize themselves. "Go get a shower," Lance commanded.

"What?" Keith glance down. "Oh. Yeah. I-I should probably...Yeah."

The boy rolled himself off of Lance and the bed, grabbed his clothes and the towel Camila had given him, and fled the room, leaving Lance to take care of himself.

...

Lance was already downstairs and eating breakfast with Marco, Lisa, Nadia and Sylvio, his  _abuelos_ , and his mom when Keith came stumbling downstairs, clearly still tired and looking terrified. Terrified of Lance or  _la familia_ was anybody's guess.

Red and Black informed him that it was indeed  _la familia_. They also informed him of their deep disappointment in him for not getting boned by Keith, which he acknowledged and then subsequently avoided thinking about. Blue showed up too, to wish him the best and declare her love for him, which Lance returned. He loved Red and Blue. And Black, but Black was different. He could hear Black, but only because he was the Red Paladin. But...now that he thought about it, when he'd been Shiro's second, he'd only been able to feel Black, not talk to her. Strange.

He didn't want to think about what that might reveal about Keith. He didn't want to think about what he'd seen last night. He didn't want to think about the way Keith had looked at him like he was the entire universe. Except he totally did.

" _Buenos dias,_ Keith!" Camila said, immediately getting up to fix him breakfast as he entered.

"It's okay Mrs. McClain. I can get it."

Marco immediately began translating for their  _abuelos_.

"Nonsense. You sit. I will fix you some breakfast." Keith took the empty seat next to Lance. Camila served him eggs, bacon, sausage, and pancakes while the rest of the family did exactly what Lance had told them not to do: stared. "Now, what do you two boys plan to do with today, hmm?"

"Uh...Honestly, I'd like to go get my hoverbike. I didn't think to get it after..."

" _Despues de robar un LTATV,"_   _Abuela_ said with a grin. Abuela understood just enough English to know what Keith was talking about.

Keith seemed to register that " _rob_ _ar"_ meant "steal", because he nodded, smiling nervously. Or perhaps he just caught "LTATV". Lance wanted to think it was the first one.

"I'm sure Lance will take you," Lisa supplied. "You boys will enjoy racing each other, I'm sure."

"Haha!" Marco laughed. " _Mi hermano_ and I used to race all the time! Those were the days! Back before these two demons!  _Ninos_ , say  _"buenos dias_ " to our guest."

" _Buenos dias!_ Keith, why are you purple?"

"Because I'm half alien," Keith deadpanned, and he began shoving food into his mouth.

Lance realized that Keith wasn't at all comfortable with the stares of his  _familia_. Lance didn't even know why they were staring. He had specifically told them not to.

" _Preguntale cual es su papel en Voltron,_ "  _Abuleo_ murmured over the paper.

"Keith is our leader. He flies the Black Lion, which is the biggest. Black has wings and is the Mom of the pride."

"Pride? What's a pride?" Nadia asked sliding out of her seat and into Keith's lap. Lance tried not to laugh at the utter terror on Keith's face.

"C'mon, man. Pretend she's an Arusian. Anywho, a pride is what you call a group of lions. It's like a pack of wolves, or a school of fish, or a-"

"-flock of sheep!" Sylvio supplied.

"That's right,  _sobrino_ , a flock of sheep. And we are part of the pride too."

 _"Mijito," Abuela_ asked.  _"Cual es tu papel? Es importante?"_

" _Si, Abuela. Soy la mano derecha de Voltron. Soy el segundo al mando._ " Lance turned to Keith. " _Abuela_ asked what my role in Voltron is. I told her I am the right hand of Voltron. That I am second in command."

Keith's brow furrowed, and for a horrible moment, Lance thought he'd been wrong. Then, Keith spoke. It was awkward, and Keith was uncomfortable, but he spoke to  _Abuela._

" _Lance es_ _mi...a-amigo?_ "

Lance stared for a moment.

"Dude, was that the first Spanish you've ever spoken?" Lisa translated the English for _los abuelos_. Keith nodded. "Well, shit. I'm honored, Keith."

Somehow, it meant a lot. And it shattered the Wall of Awkward between them. Keith had tried to speak Spanish, and had succeeded. The first words Keith had ever spoken in another language (at least as far as Lance knew), and he'd used it to declare Lance his friend. The table was silent for a long time, Nadia taking the opportunity to eat one of Keith's pancakes. Then-

" _Mijito, me gusta el. El debe visitar a menudo,_ " _Abuela_ delared.  _Abuelo_ nodded in agreement.

" _Bien,"_ Camila said, leaning against the counter with a cup of coffee. " _Porque lo visitara a menudo."_

" _Mis abuelos_ like you. They say you should visit often. Mom says that you will. She didn't leave you room for argument. _Mamá_ , if you like him so much, maybe give him the good cot, instead of the torture rack."

" _Ay, lo siento._ I thought that  _was_ the good cot. Perhaps I'm growing forgetful." Lance swore him mamá offered Keith a wink, but he couldn't be sure.

Nadia offered Keith one of his own sausages with her bare fingers. Keith took it with a whispered "thanks" and ate it, earning an impressed look from  _la familia_.

"I'd like that. Visiting, I mean," Keith said with a smile.

"Good," Lance said, trying to keep himself from dwelling on how fucking great Keith was, once you got past the rough exterior. "Now let's finish eating and go get your hoverbike."

But it was too late. The thought had been planted. It had been planted when Keith had accidentally tried to jump him earlier and Lance had begun to think that maybe there _was_ a reasonable excuse to wake up before 9a.m. It had been planted when he'd first sat down at the dining room table with  _la familia_. It had been planted when Keith, realizing Lance's  _abuelos_ didn't speak enough English to carry a conversation, had strung together the correct words in order to call him a friend. And it had taken root when Keith (who could lie about as well as he could express his emotions) had declared that he would like to visit Lance and his family often.

So seeing him now, trading food with Nadia and chatting, growing evermore relaxed and at ease, and making himself more and more at home, Lance had a horrifying realization. Lance liked having Keith there too. He like having Keith next to him when he woke up and he liked having Keith sitting next to him at breakfast. Lance wasn't just in love with Keith. He wanted a chance at a  _life_ with Keith.


	10. Speeding Along

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As always, the boys get into some trouble and then some angst because why not.

"Hey," Keith said leaning in the doorway to the main room.

Lance looked up from his spot on the couch, curled on his side, reading a book. Keith came in and sat down next to him. Close enough that, should he get the opportunity, he could put his fingers in Lance's hair. He knew the opportunity wouldn't present itself, but still. Better safe than sorry.

"Hey, Keith. Did you know there's a whole other couch in here?"

"Sorry?" Keith said, immediately going stiff. Was he suddenly unwelcome here, too?

"Nah, it's all good." Lance turned the page in his textbook. "Can I ask you something?"

"Hit me with it."

"Your mom. She...last time I spoke to her, she was confused as to why you were worried you would get pregnant. Did you guys ever...?"

Keith stared at Lance, confused for a minute. Then-

"Oh! Oh, yeah. We-we did talk about it. She was confused."

"How'd that go over?"

"Mainly, she was relieved. She'd gotten worried she had my gender wrong the entire time, and I was actually female, or something else entirely. Apparently the Galra have more than two genders, and some are only compatible with-ARE YOU TAKING NOTES ON THIS, YOU ASS?!?!" Keith snatched the notebook (which had come from who knows where) from Lance's hands. He was indeed taking notes. "What the fuck, Lance!"

"What?" Lance asked, laughing. "Look, Matt would kill for this kind of information! I just want some leverage!"

Keith ignored the twinge of jealousy at the mention of Matt. He got like that every time Lance so much as mentioned another...well, he was bi, so anyone really. It was starting to get tiresome. He was sick of feeling this way. He knew it was irrational, and yet it still seemed he couldn't help it.

"Anyhoo," Lance continued. "What did you need?"

"Nothing, really. I'm just bored. And lonely." See, Second Puberty strikes again. He'd never tell anyone he was lonely unless he was fucked up in the head. But it was Lance, so it was probably fine. "Shiro's working with Iverson and everyone else in this entire dump is still being weird."

Keith tried his best not to look hurt and pathetic. Really, he did. He was trying so damn hard to be his usual expressionless asshole self, but it never seemed to work with Lance. Lance always understood him, and it was equal parts thrilling and terrifying. Like now, when the brown-skinned boy looked at him with sadness. Not pity, but like he felt Keith's pain as his own.

"Well," Lance began, closing what Keith could now identify as an ecology textbook. "What would you like to do? I can put this away."

"Wanna race?"

"Where to?" Lance asked, tone neutral.

"Out to the canyon, over the edge, down the river, over the waterfall, to the other side of the lake. Then maybe take a swim."

Dangerous, he knew. Hoverbikes more hovered than flew (surprise), so when they took those dives, they'd only survive if they could pull up in time to get enough thrust. But he and Lance had been back at the Garrison for a week, and still only Lance and Shiro were treating him normally, Shiro after a few days of getting used to it. But when Shiro wasn't working, he disappeared to his quarters to be alone. He was still grieving, Keith knew. So Lance was his only option when he needed to not feel like some kind of space freak. Which was whenever he wasn't fully occupied with something else.

And Lance had been great, really. They'd spent hours training. Keith had discovered that he was better at long distance running, maintaining a steady pace for hours if needed, but Lance could sprint faster than anyone, including Curtis from Weapons Development. Lance was also teaching him how to swim, and revealed a talent for yoga and gymnastics, both of which Keith was getting in on as well. Plus, Lance was helping him with marksmanship, for 'just in case.' 

In return, Keith continued to train Lance in combat, coaching him in grappling a well as the blade, along with some knife work. He was also helping Lance build endurance. At the same time, they were working together to close some of the gaps in their secondary education. 

Outside of the several daily hours he was spending with Lance and the meals he spent sitting between Lance and Shiro while Curtis found excuse after excuse to come in and speak with Shiro, Keith was alone in the massive compound.

So he was eternally grateful when Lance didn't even pause to consider Keith's potentially fatal plan. He leapt up off the couch, ecology book falling to the floor with a thud.

"Fuck yeah! Let's go! It's been a while since we almost died."

The boy grinned, and Keith had to marvel as they headed to the bay that housed their vehicles. Lance was never this loose around anyone else, except Shiro, again. Keith had a nauseous feeling when he considered why. Because Shiro was intuitive, and could read people like no one's business.

"Hey," Lance said, interrupting his thoughts. "Wanna pack a picnic lunch? I'm thinking strawberries, cheese cubes, and nutella sandwiches. You haven't gotten a chance to try it yet."

"Fuck yes. I've never had strawberries either. Have you noticed an extra person at breakfast lately?"

" OH MY GOD IF I HAVE TO SIT THROUGH ONE MORE MEAL-" 

 "HOW COME CURTIS CAN PUT HIS WEAPONS ON THE TABLE?!"

"IT'S SO UNFAIR! MY BAYARD ISN'T EVEN ACTIVATED, BUT HIS SUNJET DOESN'T EVEN HAVE A WORKING SAFETY YET!!! This is favoritism of the highest order and I won't stand for it-"

 

*Fifteen Minutes Later*

 

"Catch me if you can, Sharpshooter!"

Keith tore past Shiro and Iverson, in the middle of a peaceful conversation about some no doubt boring crap.

"I can and I will, Samurai!"

"BBOOOOOOYYYSSS!!!!!" Iverson roared.

Keith howled with laughter and looked back to see Lance, grinning, jerking his hand up and down in an obscene gesture as he passed the older men. Their superiors. Oops.

As they sped past the opening in the chain link fence and over the desert, Lance pulled up alongside him. Eyeing the sheer joy on his face, Keith found himself reluctant to do anything in the way of trying to pass him. Instead, he chose to simply match the other boy's pace. It afforded him more chances to steal a glimpse of the Cuban. Purely to make sure he was keeping up, of course.

"Coming up on the edge," Keith warned. Lance's brows contracted in concentration, smile morphing into a determined smirk. It was honestly really hot, and Keith had to remind himself of what he was doing. 

As they soared over the edge, the front of their speeders angling down as they leaned even further forward. Keith felt his heart rate pick up, adrenaline pumping through him. He glanced back and saw a vehicle coming after them. Then the hoverbike dropped, Keith's stomach found itself nestled in his chest, and the ground rose rapidly to meet him. The briefest of glances showed Lance right next to him. The ground was coming fast. Closer, closer. Keith ceased to breathe. Then, with a massive effort, he managed to get his hoverbike level and turned around so that he didn't hit the opposite canyon wall. 

Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. That had been stupider than he'd originally thought. No. That was a lie. It was just as stupid as he'd thought, but also a bit scarier. He checked on Lance and saw he was level, pulled slightly ahead. In front of Keith instead of next to him. 

The water of the river kicked up around the nose of his hoverbike, spraying him with mist. Heart still pounding, Keith leaned forward, pushing his hoverbike to go faster. The old fingerless gloves felt new on his hands, leather stretching to accommodate his bigger palms and fingers. It felt good. He felt good.

Keith caught up with Lance, and they sped through the narrow canyon, rotating on their sides through the sharp twists and turns, past centuries-old adobe houses carved right into the rock wall. The wind struck his face, and he turned toward Lance to take the edge off for a second. He saw water glittering like diamonds on his cheekbones. It was gorgeous.

"Coming up on the falls," Lance warned, smirk widening. "Don't die."

Over the waterfall they went, and Keith got bold. He angle the nose of his hoverbike purposefully, chasing the rocks at the bottom at a breakneck pace. His heart leapt into his throat, and he was sure that if he opened his mouth, it would pop right out. But it still wasn't enough. He revved his engine, picking up the pace, and checked to confirm Lance was matching him. He was. It might have been the hottest thing he'd ever seen.

The rocks came almost before he was ready. He barely missed them, pulling up at the very last possible second. Their hoverbikes kicked up a massive splash, drenching both boys. Neither was put out, and they were hauling ass across the lake.

Once they reached the middle, Lance slowed, and Keith pulled back to match his pace. Lance sat up, no longer leaning over the handles. He tilted his head back and spread his arms wide, enjoying the freedom, the sun bathing him in molten light. Keith gave himself a few moments to stare, lovelorn, at the pure joy and exhilaration on his face.

Keith couldn't blame him. Don't get him wrong, he loved being a Pilot of Voltron. He always had. Even when he'd left. But there was something about the wind in his hair, in his clothes. The feeling of the sun on his face. It couldn't be beat. Black nodded sagely in the back of his mind. She understood. She too relished the liberation of flight.

On the far edge of the lake, Lance rolled off his hoverbike and into the water. Keith followed. The hoverbikes could park themselves. He sank quickly to the bottom, and spotted a pair of blue eyes smiling at him in the dim water. As his head broke the surface, he heard Lance whoop in pure ecstasy, using his legs to propel himself up and backwards into the water.

"I won," the boy said breathlessly. "You're getting pretty good at swimming." 

Keith could feel the sting of cold wind on his cheeks, and the flushing heat underneath. He felt feverish, but also like he needed to keep moving. To fly. To run. Something. Anything.

"Like hell, you did!" Keith yelled with a grin.

"I so did!"

"Yeah, you so did _not_!"

"Why, you-" Lance lunged, putting his hands on top of Keith's head and pushing him under the water. Keith used his hands to propel himself down and escape. He came up a few seconds later, still grinning. "Ugh, come on. Let's just go eat."

"You go ahead. I'm gonna swim a bit more. Need to come down, you know?"

Lance nodded and swam for the shore, where Shiro and Iverson were waiting by their parked bikes.

...

"Do you have any idea how many times you almost died in the last hour?" Shiro said, not bothering to sound angry. He just sounded tired.

"A lot...honestly, I probably should've made an alternative suggestion-"

"No, really? You don't say!" Wow, okay. Shiro was being sarcastic. That was a rare occurrence to say the least.

"Okay, listen, Shiro. I love you, but I don't need you up my ass right now. I'm trying my best but-" He turned to gesture at Keith. To see him peeling off his boots, socks, and shirt on the shore. And holy shit. Toned pecs and abs, a thin line of dark hair trailing up from his jeans. He turned around, giving Lance a view of his muscled shoulders and the depressions in his lower back.  _Fuck._

He'd seen Keith wet before, but they'd always had their training suits on, for real-world simulations (or some such BS. Lance had tuned out was Iverson said after, "Wear your damn suits"). This was definitely very, very different.

God  _damn._ It made Lance's mouth water.

"Lance, could you please not lust after my brother while I'm chewing you out?" Lance jumped and turned back to Shiro, fully red in the face.

"Oh my God," he said, burying his flaming face in his hands. "I cannot believe I just-" He broke off as Shiro began to laugh. The older man sat down in the sand, and Lance followed his lead. He was still mortified, but at least Shiro didn't seem that angry. "Are we actually in trouble?"

"Nah, not really. I'm just doing my job. I don't have the energy to actually do anything about this and Iverson's just glad you didn't die. You'd be a pain in the ass to replace."

"Thanks, Shiro."

"So...how's he doing?"

"The tufted ears took a hot minute once he finally noticed. He-he'd be doing better if the others would calm the fuck down and get over it. He feels-He's waiting for them to finally reject them."

"What about you? Are you going to reject him? You might be decent at hiding things, but you can't tell me you don't see it." Shiro paused. "You could have so much together, Lance. He's a really great guy and you know it. You have to see it now, at least. Everything he normally keeps hidden beneath the surface."

"I see it. And I've always seen it, for the record...I took him to Switzerland to try ice skating. And a few other G-rated things. I-I saw the way he looked at me." He took a deep, shuddering breath. He suddenly had chills, despite the warmth of the sun. "No one's ever looked at me like that."

"What do you intend to do about it?"

"Nothing. I can't risk losing my family and I can't risk the team."

"Bullshit. If you loved him enough, you could. So what's holding you back? Really."

Lance took another deep breath. Shiro was on the same track that Lance had been on since that family breakfast.

"I don't trust him," he whispered, watching the boy swim. "He-he left us, Shiro. And I can tell he lied about why. It wasn't because that's what he wanted to do, I just know it. We weren't as close back then, but I was still his second and I know he cared about us. And he fucking left anyway and the more I dwell on it, the more it pisses me off."

"You could...ask him about it? You know, like people with communication skills do?"

"Nah. I'm just gonna pretend-"

"That wall is still there, isn't it? When you form Voltron, there's a wall there between you two. And if you actually loved him, fully and completely, that wall wouldn't be there. That mistrust, that hurt you feel? That's the wall. The wall the others have regarding Keith's changes will fade, but if you don't fix this..." Shiro trailed off, not needing to say anymore.

"I told you I didn't love him," Lance mumbled.

"Yeah, and you lied. And even if you didn't -you did- this problem would still be there and you know it."

Lance knew it. Red, Blue, and Black all agreed. This problem was  _the problem_. The one that kept him and Keith from truly connecting. It needed to be addressed, for the good of their strengthening friendship. For the good of the universe.

He looked at the violet-skinned boy, still swimming. Kosmo had finally caught up and they were playing. Lance couldn't help the fond smile.

"I'll work up to it."

"Well, you've got until maybe a month. Allura believes the excavation of the giant Robeast will soon yield results. They're nearing the power core."

"So I have maybe a month to fix the barrier between us and the rest of the team, overcome my fear of my family's potential homophobia, get laid, and be ready to save the universe, leaving aforementioned family behind  _again_."

"No pressure." Silence. Not the uncomfortable kind, but a peaceful kind. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure, Shiro. Anything." Lance would be there for Shiro. Always. Even if it meant talking about his dad. Or his really inconvenient feelings for Keith.

"What's the deal with Allura? I thought you two...?"

"We tried, first couple weeks we were here. But we just didn't connect, y'know? There wasn't enough between us that could make anything last. And honestly, I think I was more of a potential rebound for Lotor. Not that I'm hurt, or anything. I think she just needs...she needs to know that there's somebody decent out there that will love her, and it's just not me. What about you? You ever gonna go back on the market?"

"Honestly? I'm thinking about it. I need a little more time but yeah, I want to try again I think. And I have you to thank for that, Lance." 

Shiro smiled, and Lance grinned. He really hoped this was Shiro turning things around. He hoped it was a sign that Shiro could move on with his life.

Another long, comfortable silence. Keith coaxed Kosmo out into the deeper water so he could swim. The wolf struggled at first, warping in and out of the deep water, but eventually, he got it. Lance could hear Keith's whoops of praise from here.

"Right," Shiro finally said, getting to his feet. "Iverson's waiting for us to all head back, so let's get that idiot and his dog and get going."

Lance chuckled.

...

Keith had noticed. He'd noticed how, the closer they'd gotten to the Garrison, the tighter Lance's shoulders had become, how just plain tense he was. Right. Because now he had to act like his other self. Like he was perfectly straight and like he didn't have some...something weighing on his mind. But Keith could feel it. It hovered between Red and Black like an iron curtain, an unspoken barrier that was forever present, whether one could see it or not. Red and Black knew what it was, but wouldn't tell him, wanting him to ask Lance about it directly.

Keith was honestly surprised they weren't in more trouble. They hadn't even really been yelled at. Just scolded. And now he was sitting at the table in the main room right next to Lance, staring at the sandwich in his hands.

"Go on, man. Try it. It's delicious."

Keith, spurred on by Lance (who could probably get him to do anything at this point), took a bite. It took a moment for the flavor to hit him, at first just tasting bread. Then something sweet, maybe a little savory, and definitely a little nutty danced across his tongue. He moaned.

"Oh my God it's so good." Lance laughed.

"See? I told you. Man, I wish I'd known sooner that you could be bought so easily with chocolate."

"You don't understand. You've had chocolate your entire life." He shove another bite into his mouth, unable to pace himself. "I've never had it, or any other junk food, until a week ago."

A moment of silence.

" _WHAT???_ " Hunk yelled, utterly horrified.

"You're not serious. Shiro, how could you?!" Pidge too, weighed in.

"Only a week ago?" Allura queried. "Even I was given chocolate within our first days here. It's utterly delightful." Coran nodded in agreement.

"Shiro," Pidge declared, getting up and wrapping her arms around Keith from behind. Keith winced as her weight found some of the bruises Lance had left him with after training. He had layers of them now. "You have failed this boy."

"Yeah, Shiro," Keith said, leaning into Pidge. "Honestly, how could you?"

"Well excuse me for ensuring he got proper nutrition," Shiro said, good-natured smile genuine on his face (for once). Then his brow furrowed. "That's like the sixth time I've seen you with junk food. Where are you getting all of this from?"

"Uhh..." Keith wasn't sure how to respond. He didn't want to get Lance in trouble.

"That's me. What's up? My name's Lance and I'm a terrible influence." Lance looked more than proud of himself.

"Lance, I'm very disappointed in you," Shiro said. "He has no impulse control. He's got such a sweet tooth, even fruit makes him weak."

Everyone laughed.

"Hey, Keith! Have you ever had flan?" Pidge asked, her eyes sparkling. "Lance's mom gave us a tray and it's  _amazing_."

"I did," Keith said, sandwich long finished. "It's amazing."

Lance chuckled.

"Dude," he said. "You literally compared it to some alien monster that tried to eat you."

"I've seen this 'flan'," Krolia said. "And I can confirm that an Argresian worm does indeed have a similar consistency and appearance."

The conversation continued, Hunk listing off different junk foods for Keith to confirm or deny ever tasting, Pidge scolding Shiro for neglect, Matt asking Krolia (who was standing  _very_ close to Kolivan) about Argresian worms, Allura and Coran interested in finding other Earth foods to sample. And Keith realized, while discussing with Hunk the different candies he'd tried, that the ice had been broken. 

Finally, after a week of tiptoeing around and awkward conversations, the team was back together. Keith made eye contact with Lance, and saw him sitting back, uncharacteristically quiet, watching as everyone carried on messing with and interrogating him about his sugar deprivation. As Keith smiled the Cuban boy, his own smile widened, those unbelievable blue eyes sparkling softly.

And Keith wanted to tell him. He really did. He wanted to explain, finally, why he'd left the team. How the image of that slender brown hand, holding up that lonely little pinky finger, was still burned into the back of his skull. That same pinky finger he wished so much would twist together with his.

He just didn't know how.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next up: Cinnamon rolls and Sin-namon rolls. I think. Or maybe a piano solo or two? Idk which do you guys want first?


	11. The Chemistry In Coffee

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Caffeine isn't the only chemistry that brews during breakfast.

Lance was looking through text books again. Ecology had been fun, but it wasn't right. Chemistry wasn't right. Geology wasn't right. Psychology wasn't right. Social works wasn't right. Even astrology, the thing he should probably be a natural at, wasn't right. He'd looked through so much, and still nothing seemed to fit. 

He sighed. What was he going to do? He belonged in space. He was sure of that now. There was so much to learn, so much that he could do, but nothing fit. And he had to do something. When this war was over, he couldn't just sit around and wait for the next one to rear its ugly head and he couldn't fight wars forever. The mileage was already starting to catch up to him. He could feel it in his knees and in his right shoulder. Not that the tension he carried was helping. Yoga with Keith was fun, but it wasn't enough to help.

Botany? No. Zoology? No. Marine biology? He'd tried that, and decided the ocean was his hobby, not his career. An...anthro...anthropology? What the quiznak is "anthropology"?

Lance thumbed through the old textbook. He found a definition.

"Anthropology is the study of human societies, and cultures and their development. It is the study of human biological and physical characteristics and their evolution."

Well...it wasn't perfect, but maybe he could work with this. And his imagination took the idea and sprinted off with it.

He could do so many things. He could get up close and personal with people who had grown up with the war with the Galra, with stories passed down through the generations. He could visit other planets and learn about other cultures and society. He could take that knowledge back to Earth, or to other societies. He dreamed of a universe in which people like Keith, who belonged to more than one race, were normal, not anomalies. And it started with an understanding. The realization that, no matter how different in appearance, they were all pretty much the same.

Maybe...maybe he could be the start of that.

Lance thumbed trough the textbook. And grinned.

...

"I've got it! I've got it!" Lance came sliding, almost past the doorway to the main room, grabbing the frame and swinging around and into the room. "Hi, Curtis!" 

The dark-skinned man looked up from where he a Shiro were hunched over a tablet, both with coffee in hand. He broke into a grin and wave. Sunshine of Our Love was blasting from his back pocket, a normal occurrence.

Keith sighed into his morning coffee. It was 0600 hours. He was tired. Still slightly hormonally weird. And last night he'd had a nightmare and bitten a hole in the side of his mouth with his stupid pointy teeth. In other words, it was far, far too early for this shit.

"What, exactly, have you got?" 

"I've got it!" Lance's cheeks were flushed with triumph, his eyes sparkling with a new hope and intensity. And Keith's morning irritability receded slightly. It was hard to be entirely cranky when the sun itself was smiling at you. But still. Too early.

"Yes, so you've said. But what do you have?"

Lance reached out and ruffled his hair and Keith did his best not to enjoy it. He failed miserably, and glared at the object of his torment to make himself feel better.

" _Ay, pendejo,_ don't be cranky with me," Lance said with a ~~fond~~ smile. He slammed a text book down on the table while Shiro choked on his spiked coffee. Curtis suppressed a laugh. "I've figured out what I'm gonna do after this!" 

Lance's excitement bled into every word as he bounced on his heels, practically leaning over Keith. His entire body seemed to smile. Keith sighed again, and smiled. He just couldn't help it.

"Okay, Lance. What are you gonna do?"

"I'm gonna be an anthropologist! Well, kinda. An anthropologist studies human evolution and culture, but I'm gonna do the same thing. Just with alien cultures!"

Keith stared at Lance, who looked incredibly proud of himself. It was perfect, really. He'd get to explore the universe, gather and share knowledge. And he'd get to meet tons of different people. Lance loved people. He loved talking to people, interacting with people, making people smile.

"I figured I could study different people while I work with reconstruction efforts." Lance sat down next to Keith, propping his feet up on Keith's lap. "I figure the infrastructure of so many planets must be virtually nonexistent. Plus, Galra infrastructure is a clusterfuck. Keith! I could help the Galra. I could help them rebuild. If what little Lotor ever told us is true, then they used to be so much more. They used to have like, a code of honor and stuff. What if I could help them have that again?!"

And Lance was off, talking a mile a minute about all the things he could do and learn about people as he explored the universe. Keith, breakfast forgotten, propped his head up on his hand and listened. Or rather, watched. Lance was animated, not tense, and happy. His eyes sparkled with hope, finally looking forward to the future. 

"I could do so much. And I know maybe I'm not the brightest or whatever, and maybe I don't take things as seriously as I should and maybe I-"

Okay. Time to interrupt that train of thought.

"That sounds great, Lance. I bet you'll be really good at it. Probably the best." 

Keith's smile widened at the look of surprise on Lance's face. His blue eyes glistened. A light dusting of rosy pink drifted in on his cheekbones as a tiny smile graced his lips. He looked away, bashful. Uncertain.

"Hey, don't make that face," Keith said, echoing Lance from ten days ago. He kept his voice soft, kind. He wanted Lance to believe him. "You're very smart, Lance. And you do take things seriously. But you're also compassionate and strong and willing to deprecate yourself in order to make the people around you feel better. You'd be perfect for this. To help, learn, and teach."

There was a long stretch of silence as he watched the pink in Lance's cheeks deepen and spread over his brown skin. It really was gorgeous. Then Pidge cleared her voice.

"If you two are done...I'd like to be able to eat my breakfast without gagging and you're both making it very hard." Her gaze slid to Curtis and Shiro, who were bent over the tablet again. "Harder than normal, anyway." 

Lance looked at her with wide-eyed curiosity, only giving Keith a better view of those pinkened cheekbones. He was  _so_ doomed.

"I don't understand. What are we doing to disrupt your breakfast?"

Pidge stared at him for a minute, in seeming awe of what was before her. Then she just shook her head.

"Nevermind. Just...just go."

"But-"

"Go," she whispered, massaging her head. Hunk patted her shoulder. Shiro sipped his coffee and said nothing. Curtis gave a suspicious-sounding cough. Keith just sat confused.

"Might as well," Lance said with a shrug. "I've got reading to do. And Griffin and I are off to see how the parkour court is coming along."

_I've never hated that asshole more than I do right now._

"Oh, alright," Keith said, smiling. "Tell him I said 'hi'." 

"Will do!" Lance called as he flew from the room, leaving the textbook behind. Adorable, scatterbrained, wonderful.

"Shiro," Krolia said, peeling herself off the wall in the corner. "What does ' _pendejo_ ' mean?"

"Oh," Shiro chuckled, glancing up from the tablet. "It means 'asshole'. Lance called him an asshole. Curtis, I understand you want a standardized form for when weapons malfunction or get damaged, but they can't just include, 'How is your weapon fucked up?' and 'How did you fuck it up?' followed by a long answer space that starts with 'Well you see what happened was.'"

"Of course he did," Keith laughed. "I am an asshole." He rose from the table, and Wolf rose too. "But Wolf isn't and he's been cooped up too long. I'll see you guys later."

"I absolutely can," Curtis growled. "Some fuckwit came to me yesterday with 'I tripped and fell down the stairs.'" Shiro just sighed. "Don't sigh at me! We don't even have stairs!"

"Yes we do."

"What, really?"

"You walk by them every time you come to bother me."

"Oh." Curtis took a moment to reconsider. "Okay, but that excuse is still bullshit!"

 "Change the form, Dayal."

 

*Literally Thirty Seconds Later*

 

"Hey, Shiro?"

"Yes, Hunk?"

"Can I just give you my fifty now?"

Shiro smiled into his coffee. Curtis took it from his hand, earning himself an amused look from the Captain. Curtis promptly choked, not expecting it to be half booze. Shiro grinned.

"I suppose. What about you, Iverson?"

"Ha!" Iverson poured more whiskey into his mug. "I'll raise to eighty. You put too much faith in those boys."

"You're all despicable and I love it. Twenty says they're together by the time we leave Earth," Pidge said.

"I say they're together on Keith's birthday," Krolia murmured thoughtfully. Everyone turned to her.

"Why then, specifically?" Kolivan asked, snaking a hand around her waist.

"Well, Lance seems to have taken to dragging my son all over this planet. They went cave-jumping yesterday. I'm sure he'll have something special planned. Sixty GAC on October 23rd."

Shiro grinned.

"I don't have any GAC to bargain with, but I like your spirit, Krolia. Unfortunately, I don't think Lance knows when Keith's birthday is."

"I can drop a hint if you like," Hunk offered. "Keith and Lance would be great together. If they can get their heads on...well...I guess I can't really say 'straight' now can I?" Hunk gave an almost evil grin.

"Hunk," Shiro said. "I have never been more proud of you." Hunk returned to offered high five with a grin. Curtis followed suit.

"I'm amused that you're all so invested in meddling with these boys," Kolivan grumbled with a smirk. "It will amount to nothing."

"Ha! You'll be eating your words, Kolivan."

"If you're right, Shiro, I'll eat your arm. Your choice of which one." Shiro laughed and raised his mug in a "cheers" motion. Krolia and Kolivan returned the gesture.

Krolia smiled at him and he smiled back. He really like Krolia. He liked that she looked after Keith. Took interest in his interests. 

Shiro gazed into his coffee, once he'd wrestled it away from their head of Weapons Development. He could smell the whiskey that he and Iverson totally didn't put in their coffee every morning (The Garrison was a clusterfuck, okay?). He slid the cup away as Allura danced in, her long hair tied up. She smiled at him, and he smiled back. There were, it seemed, many smiles going around today. 

He thought of his brother, running around with Lance, smiling and happy and open. Lance, running around tense and scared and uncomfortable. But growing. The boys were blossoming, stubbornly flourishing in spite of everything. He was so proud. And hopeful, for the first time in years. Since his diagnosis...six(?) years ago, really. But finally, after so long, he began to look forward to the future, instead of dread it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will have more fluff. It's guaranteed.


	12. The Naming of Things

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kosmo gets a name. Keith gets a name.

* * *

Wolf trotted along beside Keith. He was happy, tongue lolling, tail wagging, breath coming in pants. He should've been tired, but he wasn't. Keith hadn't been doing much lately, so he had a lot of energy left to spend.

"What the hell have you two been doing?" Lance asked, surveying the scene before him. Lance was a weird one. His body often said one thing, but his face said another. Right now, folded arms and spread feet expressed disapproval, but the smile in his eyes expressed amusement. Shoulders expressed anxiety. He often carried this. But it went away when the pack leader was around. It was going away right now.

"We went running around in some caves. Got a little muddy. Had a little fun." Wolf heard a thrill in Keith's voice that he'd only heard a couple of times. The time back from the little house, and then out by the big water. 

"I can see that."

"Yeah...It'll wash out. Probably." Besides, he had more clothes now. Clothes that fit him. They'd shown up one day with a note from Camila, inviting him to dinner with Lance the Saturday. It had been nice. He'd gotten to taste her garlic knots. Lance had been there, too of course. He hadn't mentioned it once.

"Can we give him a bath?"

Keith's brow furrowed a he inspected Wolf. Wolf smiled up at his pack leader. He loved Keith, and Keith loved him back. He was sure of it. Whatever "bath" was, it was probably good. Otherwise, it wouldn't happen.

"I don't know. I've never given him one." Keith reached out and ruffled Wolf's head. A cloud of dust and chunks of caked mud flew in every direction. The wolf liked water well enough, so it shouldn't be too horrible. "I think it's about time we tried, though. Huh, Wolf?"

Wolf barked, wagging his tail happily. 

"Aww..." Lance knelt in front of the him, messing with the muddy ruff around his neck. "He has no idea what's coming his way. Do you, Kosmo?"

Wolf wagged his tail uncertainly. Lance was familiar, yes. He was the one that wore blue. When he was nearby, Keith was different. He smelled different. His heartbeat sounded different. His face made different, unique expressions. Wolf wasn't sure what to make of it. But he was starting to like when Lance called him Kosmo. It felt special.

Lance ran off and came back, carrying a bottle in his hand and some cloths. Interesting.

Keith and Lance led him around to the side of one of the giant above-ground dens. Keith said something to Lance and the boy laughed. Keith's smiled widened. Their kinds were strange. Showing teeth meant they were friends, not enemies or food. Or both.

There was some weird, green serpent coiled against the wall. Kosmo watched as Lance turned the weird thing the serpent was attached to and, after some sputtering, out came... _water **.**_

Oh. So they were going to play some more? Excellent!

 

*Five Minutes Later*

 

"Hey." Iverson elbowed Shiro. "Look what your little project is doing."

Shiro looked up from his phone, where he totally wasn't messaging Allura about Curtis from weapons development while they were both supposed to be working, only to see-

"By my ancestors. What even the fuck..." Shiro's voice trailed off as he surveyed the scene before him.

Keith and Lance were chasing Kosmo, who had somehow gotten hold of a hose, getting the three of them soaked in the process. Lance was still wielding a bottle of soap and some dripping towels. There was only one thing to do. Take out his phone a record for future generations.

"Kosmo, you have failed me!"

"His name is not-Kosmo sit!"

"HA! You just-"

"Shut your quiznak, Sharpshooter! Hi, Shiro!"

"Hi boys. Having fun?"

The boys scrambled after the wolf, who was just as wet and covered in bubbles.

"Fuck you, Shiro!" Keith hollered, trying to catch hold of his pet. "We should not have tried to do this outside!"

"What were we thinking, trying to give a teleporting dog a bath?"

"this was your idea, Lance!"

Kosmo made the mistake of barking, and Keith snatched up the hose. Lance rolled up his sleeves. Shiro saw the vengeful smirks on their faces, the way Kosmo took a step back. And then they were back at it, Keith and Lance taking turns chasing the wolf around with the hose. And it was awesome. Then Lance got a faceful of water.

"Argh! Keith!" Lance spluttered.

Keith leapt back, that smirk turning into a crooked grin. Lance charged, impacting around Keith's waist, dumping them both into the large mud puddle they'd created. Keith howled with laughter and Lance was grinning and Kosmo came over to lick the water off their faces as they lay back in the mud, propped up on their elbows. And it was the best thing Shiro had ever seen. Proud Big Brother Moment.

"Well, Kosmo," Keith said, reaching out for his wolf. "Are you ready to actually get clean now?"

Kosmo wagged his tail, and sat calmly. Keith figured that was a "yes".

"You're wolf is the worst. Or he would be, if not for his dad."

"Yeah, whatever."

"You're the worst man."

"Whatever you gotta say to make yourself feel better." 

"Yeah, thanks. I do feel better."

Keith felt Lance settle down into their mudhole, and he slid his gaze from the blue sky to his face. He couldn't help it. He was addicted to it. To observing his many facets. Like the sparkling smile right now, the flash of white teeth. The beginnings of crows feet crinkling at the corners of his eyes. Keith wished he'd be the one to watch them grow in. That he could be the one to tease him about his first gray hair. But that was some future girl's job.

"You know..." Keith began, not knowing how to finish.

"Hmm?"

Oh. Right. Now he had to find something to say. Something to say...

"Got nothin', huh?"

Lance was smiling, almost fond. Might as well say the truth.

"Yeah. I got nothing."  _I just wanted to keep talking to you._

"I got something. A plan, if you will."

"Man with a plan! Watcha got?"

"Well, we could finish bathing Kosmo in a tub inside, make the privates clean up the mud and water we track in, and then...have you ever had a cinnamon roll?"

"I have not. Is it good?"

"It's amazing."

"Let's go for it."

As he got up, Keith couldn't help the nagging feeling in the back of his brain. He'd forgotten something. It wasn't until Lance got up, working long, delicate, graceful brown fingers into Kosmo's wet fur that he remembered Lance's other secret. 

"Here, Kosmo!" Keith called, before remembering that Wolf didn't-

 ~~Wolf~~  Kosmo trotted over, Lance in tow. He wagged his tail as he sat in between the two soaked boys. Keith couldn't help but smile. So Kosmo had chosen a name. As they guided Kosmo into Keith's room and into his tub, the banter recommenced.

"Can I ask a question?"

"Yeah, sure."

"What was it like? The alien guy, I mean."

"What, you want all the dirty details?"

Keith shrugged.

"I dunno. It just...it seems like there's a bit of a story there, and I...I guess it just seems weird to me that it took you so long..." Keith paused. " I mean, I kinda just always knew, so..."

"I mean, maybe it didn't? Maybe I just needed to get my head out of my ass? Or maybe, a bit further up my ass? I mean there were a few weird incidents while I was in school but nothing too major, just like a 'huh, that was a weird way for me to feel about that guy' and that would be that. Anyway, so like, I'm standing there, and there's just this really pretty...person...over on the edge of the celebration. Long hair, pale skin, dark eyes, delicate features. Just my type. And he's standing there, across the room, and he's looking at me. At  _me._ And I was like, 'well shit, that's a first' so I go over there and I say, 'Hey pretty lady. I'm wearing blue, you're wearing red. Do you wanna make purple-"

"Oh my God, Lance. That is the  _worst_ , even by your standards." He laughed, skipping over the part where, two weeks ago, before the Metamorphosis, he would have been exactly Lance's type. He could mourn that revelation later.

"Wanna know the worst part? It _worked_. The guy's cheeks turned like, navy blue and he just said, 'You know I'm a guy, right?' and well, it took a hot minute for me to process, but then I knew, and then I no longer cared so I was like, 'is that a yes or a no?'. The fact that the awful pick-up line worked should've tipped me off."

"Why? No good?"

"To aliens, or at least this one, stretching is a foreign concept, so...could've been better, could've been worse."

Keith focused on rinsing Kosmo with the shower head, trying not to consider all the implications of what Lance had just said.

"Wanna hear what happened after?"

"I...I honestly don't know." Good God, was Lance actually gonna tell him the dirty details?

"It's funny. So I didn't realize you couldn't just...walk out after. Like, literally, it's considered a great offense to step out on the same night. And, unfortunately for my unfocused ass-" Keith snorted. "-I missed the part where this guy was a prince. So we kinda had to flee the planet. It's fortunate that they just attacked us and didn't stop to explain why, because that is not a conversation I'd like to have."

"Wait, so you're telling me that you screwed an alien prince-"

"More like got screwed by."

"-and managed to start a war, severing all possibility of an alliance with an entire race?"

Keith guided Kosmo out of the tub and Lance caught the wolf up in a towel. Keith couldn't help but think that this was an incredibly domestic thing to do with someone. Wash the family pet.

"Yep."

"Wow." Keith sat back, letting Lance finish their task. "I would love to have been a fly on the wall if Shiro had found out what you'd done. The look on his face alone would've been worth everything."

"Oh God I still fear him finding out. I actually have nightmares about it. He'd be so disappointed."

Lance sat back with a sigh. He was smiling. Keith was getting tired of all the interaction. He was still working back up to being around people a lot. And as much as he worshiped Lance, even there, Keith had limits. But he didn't want this to end just yet.

"He's not the boy scout you think he is. He's actually a massive dork, if you get him in the right mood on the right day. And if you're one of his people."

"You mean kinda like how if someone's one of your people, you get chatty?"

"I'm never chatty."

"I meant open to carrying a conversation. That's what I consider chatty for you."

Keith searched Lance. He swore there was something here. Something he wasn't seeing, or maybe something that he couldn't comprehend. It wouldn't surprise him. There were a lot of things Keith couldn't grasp when it came to people.

"Yeah, it's kinda like when I get chatty. When he had Adam, I used to see that side of him a lot. They would have prank wars. Go spelunking. They had all these little inside jokes. They'd burn dinner slow dancing in the kitchen."

"Tell me about the last one," Lance whispered. He must've caught on to Keith's winding down, because he had already reigned himself in. A lot. Keith found that Lance's efforts to accommodate his need for quiet spread warmth all through his veins. 

"I came over for some tutoring in math. I let myself in, and there they were in the kitchen. Just..." Keith began to feel a little sad. Maybe a little bitter. "Turning in a circle, all nice and slow. And Adam was whispering to him in Italian, head on Shiro's shoulder. And Shiro had one of his hands, holding it like a tiny baby bird, like it was precious and fragile. And they had these peaceful smiles on their faces, eyes closed, and they were the only things that existed. I don't even remember the name of the song." Keith sighed. "I just remember thinking that it was stupid. And that I was jealous."

"Have you ever done it?"

"Done what?"

"Slow danced."

"Lance, who in their right mind would ever want to slow dance with me?" Lance looked at him from underneath his lashes. "No one. That's who."

Keith sat back heavily against the wall. He was really winding down now. Which is when the music started playing and a slender brown hand came into view.

"Come on, Samurai. Everybody's gotta try it once. Even you." 

_I heard the church bells from afar_

_But we found each other in the dark_

_And when the smoke does finally pass_

_We will rise above all the ash_

Keith sighed. It was weird. He didn't want to, but he did. So he might as well. It wasn't like Lance was going to take "no" for an answer anyway. So he took the offered hand and stood. Lance moved in immediately, pulling him into the bedroom, where there was more space.  

_'Cause we're gonna live, we're gonna live, we're gonna live_

_We're gonna live, we're gonna live, we're gonna live_

_We're gonna live, we're gonna live, we're gonna live_

_Like the rest._

He snaked one hand around Keith's waist, moving his fingers in little circles at the small of his back. His other hand...his other hand Lance held gently in his own, like it were fragile, and Lance was afraid he might damage it. Lance was holding him just close enough. He was holding Keith as if he were something precious, and it was almost enough to break him.

_So bright, the flames burned in our hearts_

_That we found each other in the dark_

_Black beasts, out in the wilderness_

_We are fighting to survive and convalesce._

He was exhausted. He'd done so much today, with Lance especially. His eyelids were beginning to droop. Lance inched closer and released his hand just long enough to guide Keith's head onto his shoulder, and Keith sighed. He felt like he was drifting asleep right there in Lance's arms. 

_But we're gonna live, we're gonna live, we're gonna live_

_We're gonna live, we're gonna live, we're gonna live_

_We're gonna live, we're gonna live, we're gonna live_

_Like the rest._

"We should put a pin in the cinnamon rolls, I think. It's getting late," Keith whispered. he had no idea what time it actually was.

"Yeah, let's save it for tomorrow," Lance whispered back.

"Lance?"

"Hmm?"

"Tomorrow, maybe will you play the piano?" A long pause. " I'd like to hear it."

"Sure, Keith. Tomorrow, I'll play for you."

Keith sighed again, breathing in that smell of coming rain and salty freshness that didn't go together but did.

"I bet it's beautiful." 

_Through the black soulless water_

_And the cold lonely air_

_On the rock restless seas_

_The vessel in deep disrepair_

_And the swans they started singing_

_But then oh, rejoice!_

_I can still hear your voice._

Keith let Lance guide him over to the bed as his sleepiness got the best of him. He let Lance tuck him into bed. He let Lance push his dark hair back from his forehead, let him rest his perfect hand there for a minute.

Keith let Lance whisper something in his ear:  _"Dulces sueños, mi corazón."_  And Keith had no idea at all what that meant, but he thought it sounded nice. 

_Then I heard the church bells from afar_

_But we found each other in the dark._

...

Lance lay in bed far later, marveling at his own daring. And wondering if he could ever find enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow I really keep dragging out the cinnamon rolls and piano huh? What do you guys think Keith's song would sound like?


	13. Sugar and Spice and Everything Shiro Fears

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith eats a cinnamon roll. And acts like a sin-namon roll. AKA, Keith torments his older brother by behaving like a high school freshman.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long to get another chapter out! Exam season is killing me! But you can expect the next quite soon, I should think, so stay tuned!

Lance hadn't slept that night. He found himself tormented by the heat that lingered on his shoulder, that curled around his waist, that lingered in his hand. He could still feel the weight of Keith's head snuggled against his neck, the flutter of those long black lashes against his pulse point, the wet heat of Keith's breath on his skin, the imprint of Keith's body.  _Dios_ , he'd been foolish. And selfish. Keith was mostly normal now, closed off and reticent. Except with Lance, and Lance knew it. He knew the look in Keith's eyes when they met his. He knew what that soft smile meant. And he knew he'd taken advantage of it.

Yes, Lance knew Keith harbored feelings for him. He also knew he harbored feelings for Keith. And that he could never, ever,  _ever_ act on those feelings. Ever.  _Familia_ was **Everything**. That's the way it had always been. From Sweden to Cuba. From Cuba to Arizona, USA.  _Familia_ stayed together and nothing was worth risking that. Nothing. Not even Keith.

But still. The knowledge that Lance had chosen  _familia_ over Keith didn't make his situation any easier. It didn't stop the ache in his heart. Or the guilt he felt at what he was doing. But he couldn't stop. Lance was in way over his head and he was starting to worry that sooner or later he was going to break.

It was exhausting.

Keith and Kosmo caught up to him as he staggered through the hallway toward the main room.

"Morning."

"Morning, Kosmo. Morning, Mullet." Lance bit back a yawn.

"You okay?" Keith knew Lance was going to lie and say he was fine. In the same way he'd been lying to Hunk about eating. But maybe Keith could at least make sure he ate breakfast today.

"Yeah, I'm good. Not much sleep, that's all."

"Ah. Cinnamon rolls?"

"You read my mind, Mullet."

In the kitchen, Lance set the oven to preheat. Keith poured them both coffee and orange juice.

"About last night," Keith blurted, without any idea what to say next.

"Oh. Let's just...forget it, okay?"

"Right."

Yeah, like everything Keith and Lance did together these days. Except train. Then everybody came to watch, like they were some form of entertainment. In fact, he was pretty sure Shiro was running some kind of pool, though he didn't have proof. But Lance had improved already. He'd always had the strength and agility, and now he was developing the skills. He could almost hold his own against Keith, and they were both constantly covered in layers of bruises as a result. But other than that, better not to mention it.

Those long, genuine conversations in hallways, Keith's quarters, Lance's kitchen, Lance's bedroom, Lance's living room? Nope. That night in Switzerland? Not a word. Really awkward morning incident? Okay, no, that could be forgotten ASAP. Their race to the lake? Not a word. Last night? Never fucking happened. Sometimes, Keith had to remind himself that any of it had actually happened and he began to fear that this song-and-dance bullshit Lance was putting them through was going to ruin everything they'd spent the last six(?) years building, even if they'd been in a space-rift-thing for half of them.

"But Lance?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you. For that." He paused. "I...I didn't think I could like something like that. So thanks."

Keith couldn't just not say anything this time. He couldn't. Because he could still feel Lance's hand, warm at his back. Could still feel his fingers laced with his own. And no one had ever, ever touched him like that. Like he was wanted. Like he was something precious. And his heart was aching, knowing it wasn't real. None of this was real. It was all pretend. Pretend the feelings aren't there. Pretend you don't have them. Pretend none of this ever happened. 

Lance's eyes darted up to his, guarded and cautious, and it finally occurred to Keith that Lance might have made himself extremely vulnerable last night, behind an unlocked door that was in no way soundproof after already having been in there alone, with another man, for a rather long time. Not to mention what they'd talked about. Perhaps Keith was being a bit too harsh. Lance took a deep breath and a tiny, fragile smile worked its way onto his lips. It flickered dimly in his eyes, sunk just a little too deep into their sockets. Lance's secret was taking its toll, Keith realized.

"you're welcome, Keith," he finally whispered.

Then James "Galaxy Garrison's Bottom Bitch" Griffin marched in. Fucker.

"Morning."

"Morning, James," Lance said with a friendly smile. Fuck this guy. Seriously. Just...die. "How's it going?"

"Going good. Hey, I'm told that tomorrow, Shirogane's dragging us out to some scenic camping spot from his years as a cadet. We're gonna stay a night."

"Really? I love camping!" Keith's icy heart melted in spite of itself at the excitement on Lance's face, the sparkle in his eyes.

"Right? It's gonna be great. Even if it sucks, at least we'll get a good story out of it, right?" James "Trust Fund" Griffin Opened a yogurt cup and began eating a banana. "Anywho, what are you guys doing this morning?"

"Making cinnamon rolls. Keith's hating your guts." James "Golden Boy" Griffin laughed. Keith pouted, decided to file away the fact that Lance knew he loathed the officer to reflect upon later.

"Yeah, that sounds about right. No big deal. Just to warn you, Shirogane's gonna be in in about fifteen minutes for his own breakfast. Passed him in the training room. With a very energetic, blue-eyed Indian man."

"Mmh. That's fine. Not like he's gonna want cinnamon rolls. Well, of the literal sort anyhow." James "I Was Invited Here" Griffin laughed, tossing his head back, revealing perfectly white teeth.

"Yeah, but he's gonna make you feel bad about it." Lance laughed too.

"Sure, but we should feel bad about it. So that's okay. Besides, I'm gonna try and get him to eat one. He could use the empty carbs."

"You're creating a monster, Lance." Gag. Perfect. They're both on first-name basis. A few minutes later, James "I'm You But Better In Every Way" Griffin  _finally_ left.

"What's the penalty for homicide again?" Keith asked after the door had shut.

"Life, my dude. Not sure about chance of parole, though. I think it depends...Obviously you want it to look like an accident. Either way, don't kill him. I don't feel like breaking in new recruits this late in the game." Keith chuckled. The oven beeped. Lance pulled out a massive non-stick tray and a pile of cans from the giant Garrison fridge. All of them were labelled "Property of Red Paladin. Use At Own Peril."

As he and Lance popped the cans and began arranging the rolls, Shiro came in.

"Oh for fuck's sake. You  _know_ how terrible these are for you. And Lance! Stop ruining Keith!"

"Hey, Keith! Do you think these would taste good with chocolate syrup on them?"

"Chocolate WHAT?" Keith wasn't sure he'd heard correctly. This might possibly be the single most important day of his entire life.

"NO, LANCE!!!!"

***

By the time the rolls were done, the entirety of Team Voltron, including Allura, Coran, and Romelle, were in the kitchen for the icing part. Allura was excited. And had Speech Level 100.

"Oh, come now, Shiro! Consider it one of those 'bonding exercises' you're always going on about!" she cried, bouncing on her heels while the rest of the team howled and Shiro spluttered at the betrayal of the Team MomTM.

"I am very concerned for all of you," he finally managed.

"You can use the word 'disappointed', Space Dad," Lance said. "I promise we already don't care." Everyone laughed again and Keith held up a purple middle finger, revealing that his nails were coming in black at the cuticle.

"Seriously?" Shiro deadpanned.

"Come on, Shiro," Hunk said. "We have crushed walnuts we can put on top. You like walnuts."

"I do like walnuts..." Shiro conceded.

"Then I must have one with walnuts and one without," Romelle said, and Allura and Coran nodded eagerly.

"To see which one we like better!" Coran clarified. Shiro sighed.

"Fine," he grumbled. "But if Iverson asks, I politely yet firmly declined."

"Declined what, Shirogane?" Everyone turned to see Iverson smirking in the doorway with Krolia and Kolivan behind him.

"Hey, guys!" Pidge cried. "Come join us! Keith's gonna try cinnamon rolls!" Keith sighed.

"My return to Earth is one long taste-testing while Lance complains about how deprived I've been of junk food."

"You say that like you're not enjoying it," Lance laughed. Keith grinned. He was enjoying it. His mood had picked up, too. At least this memory he could actually reminisce about someday. Or at least with other people.

"You're enjoying it too much!" Shiro cried as Iverson, Krolia, and Kolivan joined the group at the table.

"Enjoying what?" Keith asked innocently, pulling a snickers out of the new red jacket Camila had bought him and letting Lance finish icing his breakfast for him. To Lance, it was apparently some kind of arts and crafts project. He'd spent five minutes on all of his, trying to make them look like the ones on the package.

"Don't you dare eat that!" Shiro growled. Keith slowly, methodically, took a massive bite out of the candy bar and passed it to Lance, who polished it off without a second thought.

"INDIRECT KISS!!!" Pidge screamed. Lance gave her the finger and set aside a plate of cinnamon rolls with a little note saying, "For Team MFE, from Team Voltron xoxoxo"

"Pidge, nobody would ever turn down a snickers bar, even if it had just been deep-throated by their best friend," Hunk explained, clearly imparting some kind of deep wisdom. Everyone laughed as Shiro put his head in his hands and Lance choked around the candy.

"Been WHAT?! I wasn't watching! What the fuck, Keith!" Keith doubled over laughing even as he held up his hands in a placating gesture.

"I didn't, I swear. Hunk's exaggerating."

"He better be! Now eat your damned food before I do!"

Keith chuckled as he, maintaining eye contact with his brother, shoved half the cinnamon roll into his mouth, letting the icing drip down his hand and wrist as he moaned, deciding, out of nowhere, to make it as lewd as possible. It was amazing. Just like Lance had promised.

"Keith," Shiro said as everyone giggled into their breakfast. "Don't do that." Keith sighed into his second cinnamon roll.

"Do what?" he asked, eyes wide with innocence. Lance set his own aside so he wouldn't choke. Keith, fully aware of what he was doing and that it was very childish, vaguely wondered what had gotten into himself. But the red crawling up the back of Lance's neck was intriguing...

"You know what." Keith finished his second cinnamon roll, and there, before his entire team, locked eyes with his brother and drew his tongue through the thick white mixture dripping down his arm, stopping to suck on one of his fingers at the end.

"Do. What?" he asked. Lance fell to the floor in mirth, hiding his face. Keith registered the red tint to his ears with curiosity. Interesting.

"The universe hates me," Shiro deadpanned.

"Not as much as I hate myself!" the four younger Paladins chorused. Iverson joined Lance on the floor, pulling out his phone to text his wife, as Shiro all but choked back a sob.

"That's it! the man wailed. "I'm using the word 'disappointed'!"

"Space Dad, no!" Pidge cried, getting down on her knees to plead for her soul.

"Mercy, Space Dad, Mercy!" Hunk exclaimed, joining her.

Allura took the opportunity to steal Pidge's cinnamon roll and Hunk's orange juice, hoisting herself up onto the counter.

"No! I'm very disappointed in all of you! Especially Kla-Keith and Lance!"

Keith joined Lance on the floor and grinned at him.

"You never cease to amaze me, Samurai," Lance said, and Keith pretended not to notice the softness in the other boy's voice. The other's antics clamored around them like background noise. "Do you like cinnamon rolls?"

"I do. Very much. Thanks." Lance gave him a smile, and Keith ignored the stuttering of his own heart. "I also really enjoy mortifying my brother."

"Yeah, Samurai. I noticed."

Keith had never considered the kitchen floor to be a good place for anything except ruining food, but, as he held the warm blue gaze of Lance McClain, he was beginning to change his mind. He didn't even care that Iverson was clearly trying not to watch or that his phone camera was suspiciously angled in their direction. He also didn't care that Krolia was staring at him with a satisfied smile.


	14. It's Just a Little White Lie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance finally returns to the piano.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone's interested, the song Lance sings at the end is "White Lie" by The Lumineers.
> 
> I think we're coming down to the end of this one! I totally didn't do any pre-writing for this thing, but I think I'm looking at about three more chapters after this one. Maybe four. But either way, thanks for sticking with me this far! I hope to see you at the end!

"So..." Keith began, and Lance felt a stirring of dread in his stomach. "Are you gonna play for us, or...?"

Everyone was helping clean up the mess from breakfast. Keith was wiping up the counter wherever Lance sprayed cleanser while Hunk washed the dishes and Pidge dried. Allura put the dishes away while Shiro swept the floor. Romelle came behind him with a mop. The others stood and watched, providing moral support.

"Uh...yeah. Okay. Sure," Lance managed. He needed to, Lance realized. He needed to see if he still remembered. He'd been avoiding it for months now, and he couldn't come up with excuses for much longer.

"Hey, Keith!" Hunk suddenly said. "What are you gonna do for your birthday?"

"Huh?" Keith seemed taken by surprise.

"Wait, Keith has a birthday?" Lance gasped. Then amended himself. "I mean, obviously, but we've never celebrated it or anything..."

"The 23rd," Keith said. "The 23rd of October. So only a few days from now...But it's not a big deal. Really. I never really do anything for it. Never have. Let's just...let's just leave it alone, okay?"

"Sure," Lance said immediately. "If that's what you want." He replaced the cleaning spray as he contemplated how to make what would probably be Keith's last birthday on Earth special. He would definitely not be leaving it alone.

"Well," Shiro said, looking around. "I think that's everything in here. So, Lance, what is this about you playing for us? Do you play an instrument?"

"Y-Yeah," Lance stammered as the group made their way to the main hall. "I play the piano. I'm, uh, kind of a prodigy. but I haven't played in a really long time, so I might not remember how."

"I'm sure you're still great, buddy," Hunk said, catching up and throwing a arm around Lance's shoulder. Lance managed a smile. "I mean, were you ever not?"

"I mean, yes? When I was starting out? But not for long..." Yeah. Yeah! Lance could totally do this!

"I don't know what a piano is, but I'm excited to hear you play one!" Allura cried.

"Yeah, I never knew you could play an instrument, Lance," Shiro said.

"Only Hunk and I knew," Pidge said. "He used to play music based on the impressions people gave them."

"How come, m'boy? I would have thought you would've bragged about it to all your peers!" Coran exclaimed.

Lance shrugged as he opened the door to the music room. The truth was, he hadn't wanted to seem different. He'd wanted to seem like he'd gotten there the same way everyone else had. That he'd earned it, worked hard for it. Not gotten in because he happened to really good at something.

Lance walked over to the shiny black grand piano and lifted up the fall board, loathing how he left fingerprints on the inky wood. He smiled. At least that hadn't changed. As he sat down at the bench, his mind blanked. What happened next? What came after this part? It had been so long. Lance just didn't remember!

A chilly purple hand reached over and lifted his own from his lap.

"I've never seen a piano in person," Keith whispered. "But I can grasp the general idea."

Keith gently set Lance's hands down on the keys, and Lance automatically moved them to middle C and C of the third octave, his habitual starting point. Now what?  _Play something!_   Yes, but what?

"Psst," Keith said, elbowing him. "Play 'Piano Man'."

"Oh, fuck off!" Lance yelled, shoving the boy. But it broke the ice in his brain and he chuckled. "That's the only song you know, isn't it?"

"Billy comprised about half of my dad's music, so...yeah. Pretty much." Keith's crooked grin warmed him up a little.

Lance placed his hands back on the keys and began playing up and down the octaves, getting a feel for the instrument.

" _Ay,_ this piano is perfect. She plays like a dream." Lance smiled and everyone gathered closer in anticipation. "Who wants to go first? Hunk?"

"Oh, um. Yes, please!" Hunk blushed and Lance's smile brightened.

Keith was getting impatient. He'd been waiting weeks for this. But Lance was working up to it, so he sat on a nearby couch and waited as Lance found the right keys.

As it turned out, Hunk's song was happy from beginning to end. It sounded like sunlight, and children playing during summer, and iced tea and roller skating. It sounded like Hunk. Keith couldn't help but be impressed.

"You came up with that all on your own? Just from knowing Hunk?" Keith asked. Lance nodded. Keith swore there was tears in his eyes. He must've missed this a lot more than he'd let on. And been terrified that he didn't have the magic anymore.

"Do me next! Oh, please, Lance!" Allura clasped her hands in front of her, eyes sparkling. Lance gave her a tender smile.

Allura, apparently, sounded beautiful. Really beautiful. She sounded like stars and an evening breeze, at once enchanting and hopeful, if still with an underlying sadness that spoke of a tremendous sense of loss that could never really fade. As Lance's fingers caressed the keys, Keith couldn't help but be drawn in. And he couldn't help but feel a little sad. If Lance were to play for him...

"Pidge, wanna go next?" The girl didn't even hesitate.

"Nope. I wanna hear you play for Keith. I bet it's really funny."

"Yeah," Shiro teased. "I bet it's just Lance taking his bayard to the piano." Keith responded by punching his brother in the stomach. Shiro just laughed as Keith wrung out his hand. His brother was _hard_. Because he was a cyborg. Which meant he was made of flesh, but also a bunch of metal tubes and and stuff. That might be an important thing to remember.

"I can try..." Everyone turned to watch.

Lance cocked his head, staring at the piano. His brows contracted and he set his fingers, instantly pounding away at the keys.

"HA!" Pidge hollered.

But then Lance's fingers faltered. He frowned down at the keys, eyes narrowed. 

"You good, Lance? That sounded prefect to me," Shiro said. Keith took the opportunity to give his brother the finger.

"Something's not right. It doesn't work..." Lance glared down at the keys as if they were misbehaving. Then slowly, the sour expression faded, replaced by something almost quizzical. His fingers began to move again, cautious at first, but then, with a satisfied smirk, they began to dance again. And it was different.

It was...heart-breakingly lonely, like the desert sky during a new moon. Or like a silent mountain in the dead of winter. As Lance played, an undertone of bitterness and anger began to build and build until it overpowered the loneliness and seemed to choke out everything in Keith's world. He could barely breathe. He could feel himself shaking as Lance's heavenly fingers continued to dance.

Suddenly, Lance's music seemed to trip over itself and a new note began to play. What had been soul-crushing anguish quieted and a cautious note drifted in, swelling into something like the most fragile, most sensitive hope. What had been anger shifted, becoming adventure. The hope and adventure grew together, becoming almost an anthem, ending on something joyously hopeful, wild, and carefree.

As it slowed, ending on a question mark, there was silence. Lance looked at the piano curiously, like he hadn't expected what had just happened. But it didn't matter, because either way, Keith couldn't breathe. His entire body shook. As everybody in the room tore their eyes from Lance to Keith, he couldn't help but feel scared. No, not scared. Naked. He felt naked. Like Lance had laid him bare in front of everybody.

"Well  _that_ was unexpected," Pidge finally said, pushing up her glasses.

"Y-yeah. It was. I wasn't expecting that," Lance mumbled, a blush creeping up into his face.

"You say that like you don't have any control over your own hands," Keith snarled. Lance flinched.

Keith wasn't sure why he felt angry. All he knew was that Lance had basically exposed him. That he understood him in a way that no one ever had. And that was  _not okay_ because Lance was the one person who could actually break him. The fact that Lance understood him so well was terrifying because it meant Lance knew just how to hurt him.

"I mean, I do, but..." Lance rubbed the back of his neck. "I-I can get carried away sometimes...I'm sorry you didn't like it," he mumbled.

Keith did like it. He loved it. But he couldn't let himself get any closer. 

So he walked away as fast as his legs could carry him.

...

Shiro found him hours later, training. Sweat was pouring down his body. He was gasping for breath. His muscles were burning with exhaustion, Shiro knew. He could tell by how Keith's entire body was trembling.

"Keith," Shiro called. No response. "Keith! You need to stop!" This was when Shiro worried for his brother most. When he got too close to people and panicked.

Keith stopped, and almost instantly fell to his knees, breathing heavily. He looked up at Shiro, dark eyes full of emotions. The boy's chest was heaving.

"Keith, you really hurt Lance back there. He was trying to entertain and please you, and he-"

"No, he put me on the spot so he could entertain everyone else! He's been messing with me for weeks and I-God! Shiro I swear I'm going insane! I don't know what Lance is up to but I wish he'd hurry up and get bored with it because I can't take much more of this! He's utterly..." Keith stood and began to pace, pulling at his hair. His eyes were wild.

Shiro tuned out his meaningless ranting to gauge the situation. Ideally Keith would apologize and they'd work their shit out and eventually get together. Realistically, at least for tonight, he could convince Keith to apologize for storming out and then ask Lance what had been eating at him since Keith had returned (because Shiro knew what it was, and it needed to be addressed months ago).

"-and that stupid, perfect smile he's got even when I'm being a dick-"

"Keith! Enough!" Keith stopped short, staring wide-eyed at his brother. "Sit back before you collapse. And listen to me, okay?"

Keith sat back, leaning to the side to get his knees out in front of him and stretch his legs out. Shiro suspected he complied only because he no longer had the strength to support himself. Even as he leaned back, his arms gave way beneath him, and he lay back with a thud of his head, gasping for breath. Idiot. Shiro sat down next to him.

"First, you need to apologize the Lance. You ran out on him after you yelled at him, which was a total dick move. He didn't know that his music would upset you and you know it. Second, you need to talk to him. Something's been bothering him since you got here, and it's holding you both back."

"Holding us back from what?" Keith asked.

Shiro swore he saw a hastily extinguished spark of hope in the boy's harrowed eyes. He sighed and reached out to ruffle Keith's sweaty hair. He'd grown up so much, especially in the last few years. He was a man now, strong and confident. Most of the time. But every now and then Shiro still saw that lonely, broken kid he'd grown to love so deeply.

"From truly connecting," Shiro said, trying his best to keep things vague. "You guys could be great, achieve so much together. But something's bothering both of you, and you need to actually talk to each other. And I don't mean joke around or eat a fuckton of candy together, I mean actually talk. Like grown-ups in a TV show where the writers have no real idea of how men acutally solve conflict."

"What, you mean like, talk about our feelings? To each  _other_? Shiro, no, okay? That absolutely is not a good idea-"

Shiro wanted to bang his head against a wall (or possibly strangle his brother), but instead he chose to deal with these idiots because  _somebody_ was going to come out of this mess happy goddammit!

"No, you're gonna do this and you've got three days to do it on your own before I make you! You don't have to tell him you love him but you do have to tell him you're sorry and whatever other fun little factoid you've been hiding from him all along!" Shiro softened and put a hand on his shoulder. "I love you, but this isn't up for negotiation. This needs to happen. You guys will be given plenty of opportunities to do so on our trip tomorrow. In case you forgot that was happening too."

Keith sighed, and Shiro could pinpoint the moment where he surrendered.

"I know. And okay." The boy stood. "I'm gonna get cleaned up, and then I'll go apologize the Lance. I can do that much tonight, I think."

Shiro smiled, and his heart swelled with pride. A few years ago, Keith would have outright refused. He really had grown up.

"And Shiro?"

"Yes, Keith?"

"I...I love you too."

"See? Artificial TV show moment magic right there."

Keith scoffed and gave Shiro the finger. Shiro just chuckled, filled with affection for his little brother.  _Little Brother._ He smiled. He still hadn't gotten used to the phrase, but it left a sweet taste in his mouth and a warmth in his heart. He'd been without family far too long. 

Speaking of which...

...

Keith paused just outside the music room, hair still dripping from his shower. Lance was sitting at the piano again, talking to someone.

"I don't know, Vero." Veronica, the sibling Lance was closest to. The McClain Keith was third closest to, after Lance and Camila. "I don't know why it pissed him off. I guess I was wrong about him."

"Or maybe you were too right? I mean, he doesn't seem like the kind of guy that likes being laid out like that."

"Yeah, I guess not." Lance sounded so sad, and Keith felt a twinge of guilt. "I didn't mean to hurt his feelings. I just...Maybe I can..."

He was playing Keith's song again and Keith could see him trying to change it into something more...expected. It hurt to hear. Finally, Lance sighed.

"Screw it. It was perfect. I'm keeping it. It's perfect." Another sigh. Veronica gave an amused hum.

"What?" Lance whined.

"Nothing." Keith peered around the doorway to see Veronica sitting on the couch, feet tucked up  ~~the same way Lance liked to do~~ and Lance still sitting at the piano.

"Play something for me,  _hermano_ _dulce_. Anything. I've missed it."

"Anything?"

"Hmm...play something sad. You're feeling sad. Make me feel it too."

"Why would you want to feel sad?" Veronica regarded Lance for a moment.

"When you play songs built around other people, I feel what they feel. When I overheard you play Keith earlier, I felt his loneliness, his sadness, and his hope as my own. I want to feel what you're feeling, in the best way you know how to show me. So I know if I can help you."

Lance turned to his sister with a tender smile. He raised his long brown fingers to the keys and began to play, low, slow, and sad.

_"As a kid, my hands were red_

_When you asked me, I denied it_

_I've told lies that never came true_

_And I have stolen but so have you."_

Keith couldn't help but listen and wonder. Lance's voice was beautiful, soft a gentle, and filled with emotion. Lance heard something in the words and Keith was dying to know what.

_"If we can make it through another day_

_With you believing in my innocence_

_If we can make it through another year_

_'Cause we both need it to forget this fear."_

And there was fear. Keith could feel it. Something Lance was running from, but he knew it was useless. It would catch up to him and he was just desperately buying as much time as he could. The music picked up a little.

_"If it's all the same to you_

_Then it's just a little white lie_

_Then it's all the same to me_

_And it's just a little white lie_

_If I was to blame would you?_

_Would you still believe?"_

The music slowed back down, and Keith pondered the lyrics. That desperation. He wondered who Lance was talking to. Who he was trying to reason with.

_"I don't want you to forget_

_Just pretend that it never happened_

_And it's just a little white lie_

_And it's just a little white lie."_

Oh.  **Oh.** Keith thought back to this morning, in the kitchens. Don't speak of it. Just pretend it never happened. Pretend it wasn't real. Reason with yourself until you're convinced nothing was happening. Nothing happened. Everything was real. Everything was and wasn't and is and isn't until it begins to drive you mad.

_"If it's all the same to you_

_Then it's just a little white lie_

_Then it's all the same to me_

_And it's just a little white lie_

_If I was to blame would you?_

_Would you still believe?_

_..._

_If I was a thief?"_

The sad, low music faded out and Keith knew. The two of them were thieves. And something like joy flickered in Keith's chest. He slipped away, already trying to figure out what words he would need to stitch their bond back together.


	15. Pinky Promise? Pinky Promise.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The future is something to look forward to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks as always for reading! I'm going to be posting a series of five shorts soon, "Light", so keep an eye out on my profile for that! Also, if anyone has any ideas for a story (Klance or otherwise), I'd love to hear it! I'm always looking for new projects to write.

Keith didn't sleep that night. He spent the entire night pacing the halls, Kosmo in tow, whimpering in concern for his pack leader. Keith felt a little guilty, honestly. He should at least lie down so his buddy could sleep, but every time he tried, he just couldn't be still. The pride was worried too, Black in particular. Lance loved him, he was sure. He didn't know what exactly happened in that music room, but Keith knew it was true. Which meant all that was holding them back was some past grievance, a metaphorical closet, and his own social ineptitude.

If the closet were their only obstacle, then Keith could honestly live with it. He could live with the knowledge that Lance loved him but wasn't ready to face it. What he couldn't live with was the knowledge that Keith himself had done something that caused Lance to hold back, that kept them at a distance.

Keith didn't know what exactly the problem was, and he didn't know how to fix it, but he knew he wanted to try. He wanted this chance, even if just the one, to have something with somebody. To just be with someone. To burn dinner in the kitchen because some randomly important song was playing. He wanted that.

And...Keith did have something to confess to Lance. He needed to explain why he'd left. Lance deserved to know.

The more Keith paced, the more sure he became. This needed to happen, and Keith would try his damnedest to make it so. As for whatever would come after, well...He'd deal with that bridge when he got to it. And he'd take whatever Lance was willing to give.

Hours later and thoroughly tired (and wired), he sat in a cargo hold with Team Voltron and Team MFE. Lance was resolutely not looking at him. Or speaking to him. In fact, the only acknowledgement Lance gave that he was aware of Keith's existence was his seeming determination to pay attention to anything else. It stung a little, but Keith took comfort in the fact that at least he knew exactly why he deserved it.

Instead, Lance was sitting on the row of gear dividing their two factions, chatting animatedly with James "I fucking Hate This Guy" Griffin. Add that to the list of things to tell Lance about. 

"Wait so they implanted speaking devices in their throats to communicate?"

"Yeah, the Tal-Jeerans were weird. And their entire planet was basically a ball of acid wrapped in tissue paper. It was kind of a shitshow, to be entirely honest."

"Unbelievable." There was a sparkle in Lance's eyes that made Keith simmer with hatred. He might not worry about Griffin as a threat (anymore), but he would probably hate him until the day he died.

"Then there were these Bafrugians. And they're blue with long green hair and they all look really similar. Like, Lord of the Rings elves similar only worse, so it was kinda awkward hitting on them. You can't really be sure what you get..."

Griffin roared with laughter and Keith barely suppressed a grin of his own. He knew  _exactly_ what Lance was talking about. He watched closely, noticing the tension in Lance's shoulders, the steadily darkening shadows under his eyes, the thinness of his face. At his side, Kosmo snuggled closer, taking the opportunity to get some quick rest. Then Shiro stepped in to deliver some instructions.

"Okay, so we touch down in a few minutes. While we're here, you're all going to be put into pairs. I've tried to pair you up with whomever I believe it would be most to your benefit to work with. So here are your teams: Allura and Griffin. Kinkade and Holt. Garrett and Risavi. Leifsdottir and Romelle (try not to kill each other). Kogane and Lance McClain. I will be with Veronica McClain. Questions, comments, concerns, profanity, cries of outrage, threats on my life?"

"Uh, yeah. Question."

"Yes, Lance?"

"Why am I with Keith? We're on the same team and-"

"You two need more work. You've learned how to have fun together-"

"That's for sure," Griffin muttered to Allura. The two began snickering. Seriously, was there a limit to how much hatred one could have for a single person? The warmth in his cheeks didn't help.

"-but you still have a long way to go before you're working together the way you should be. Anything else?...No?...Good. Grab your gear and sit next to your teammate."

Before Keith could get up, Lance came up to him holding a pack in each hand. He set Keith's down in front of him and sat on his own.

"Didn't wanna disturb the pupper," he mumbled.

"Thanks."

They sat in awkward silence the rest of the way, until the cargo ship set down with a shudder. The exit ramp was lowered and everyone began filing out two by two. Lance didn't move. Neither did Keith. His partner just seemed so reluctant. Time for confession one of...three? Four? Keith wasn't sure anymore.

"Lance?" No response. "I liked it, Lance. The song? I liked it. A lot." He wanted to explain the rest, but he didn't know how. But Lance looked at him, eyes flickering with understanding, and Keith knew he didn't have to.

"That's a relief," he said with a breathy laugh. "I was kinda worried you hated it. And I'm sorry. I didn't realize that it might bother you." Keith shrugged.

"It's fine. It was...It was nice to know you think of me like that. Like I'm more than just a bitter asshole." 

Lance shrugged. They sat there for a few more minutes, letting the awkwardness and the hurt feelings ebb away like mud in the rain. That honestly hadn't been that bad. Maybe it  _was_ good that Lance understood him. It would make all of this easier.

"Hey!" Griffin called from the ramp. "Are you guys coming? You're gonna wanna see this!" Lance sighed.

"Don't worry," Lance muttered. "I'll try to keep you guys away from each other." Keith was eternally grateful for that as he finally dislodged a still-sleepy Kosmo and stood, hoisting his pack on his shoulders. He took up the lead and headed down the exit ramp.

The only word to describe what he saw was "beautiful".

They were situated on top of a flattened ridge, wide enough to bear a series of two-person tents. To their left and right on the slopes of the ridge, was a field of wildflowers, swaying in a fresh breeze. The pinks and purples and yellows and whites and blues and oranges saturated Keith's senses to the point where it was almost too much. It was almost too beautiful. At the bottom of the ridge to their right was a creek and on the other side of a creek, a forest of white trees with yellow and green leaves. The altitude was such that he could see a lake in the distance among the trees.

"Holy fucking shit," Lance whispered, affirming to Keith that this was real, he hadn't finally been driven mad. Griffin just grinned.

Keith didn't even have words. His mind was almost completely blank. He reached out to a yellow flower with a brown center and pinched the petals between his thumb and forefinger. It felt...different. He'd assumed flowers would feel like leaves, slick and waxy. But, no. They were soft. Like a cross between peach fuzz and silk, maybe? What was the word? Velvety? He thought that might've been it. He plucked a column of purple blossoms and lifted it to his nose, trying to separate its aroma from the overall intoxicating perfume hanging heavy in the air. He was pretty sure Lance had a shampoo that smelled just like it. Not that he'd noticed or anything.

His reverie was interrupted by the Most Irritating Man in The World.

"Hey, man. Is he okay?" Griffin mumbled.

"Let him have this," Lance whispered back. "It's new to him."

Kosmo, however, was not in any mood for standing about taking in the scenery. Instead he barked, running and bounding in circles around Keith. 

"Hehe. Yeah? You miss the color green, bud?" Kosmo splayed his front legs wide, tail high in the air, and barked, smiling at his pack leader.

"Aww..." Lance chuckled, kneeling and opening his arms to the space wolf, who warped right into him, licking his face. "Augh! Get off! No! Ack! Kosmo!"

Lance pushed the dog off with a laugh and looked back at Keith. Keith was looking back up at the sky, painted blue. There was an almost wistful smile on the boy's face and the wind swept through his wild black hair. The sun kissed his purple skin and sparkled in his midnight eyes. It was times like these, when they weren't training and Keith wasn't wet and stripping off his clothes and he wasn't being pressed up against a wall or pinned to his own bed that Lance felt the most sure. He knew the difference between love and attraction and Keith had taught him that more than anyone else.

"Alright, pupper, Keith.exe has stopped working, so you're with me. Come on!" Lance ditched his pack at the base of the exit ramp and tore off down the hill, Kosmo running and warping around him, tail wagging, tongue lolling. "Aww...who's such a good pupper?"

Lance's long legs had him tripping and tumbling head over heels down the slope in between his strides all the way down. At the bottom, he leapt over the creek and sprinted into the woods, off and out of sight of the crew. The trees rustled overhead, sunlight filtering through gold and green leaves.

"Where are Lance and Kosmo?" Keith jumped at the sound of Shiro's voice.

"Uh..." Where were they?

"they went off into the woods," Griffin supplied. "The dog-"

"Wolf," Keith corrected without really thinking.

"Sorry, wolf wanted to play." Keith registered Shiro's frown.

"I'll set up our tent, then go find them. I should be able to sniff them out."

Keith went over to his pack and pulled out a tent. It was small, for only two people.

"You don't mean actually, do you?" Griffin asked, moving to set up his and Allura's tent.  _Patience yields focus_ _._ He gave Griffin a once-over. The boy looked genuinely curious.

"Yeah, I mean actually sniff 'em out." Keith inspected the parts in the bag. Tents, it seemed (the one Galaxy Garrison used, anyway) were not self-assembling. 

"No way." Griffin grinned. "You think you could sniff out truffles?"

"Maybe. I don't know what that is, but it's possible."

"They're this really expensive mushroom. They're delicious."

"Griffin, do you want help?" Allura called. She and the other girls (including Pidge, to Keith's surprise and delight) were weaving flowers in their hair.

"Nah, that's alright! I got it!" Griffin glanced over. "You haven't set up a tent before, have you?"  _Patience yields focus._ Where was Lance?

"No," Keith said, digging through the -whatevers-. He shook out the bag. "Are there instructions?" Griffin chuckled.

"There might've been, at one point. A few years back." Griffin put a hand on his arm. "I know how to put 'em together. Help me with mine and I'll help you with yours." Keith conceded with a nod. He wanted Lance to come back to a safe space to rest. "Here, can you put these together? They lock into one another."

Griffin handed him some poles and began putting another set together. They worked in silence. Keith kept flicking his eyes to the woodline, wishing Lance would make a reappearance. He tried to ignore the squirming worry in his stomach. Was the rest of his team okay? Keith looked around, getting a quick headcount. Everyone was here. Coran and Iverson were setting up a tent as were Krolia and Kolivan. His mom and probable future step-dad seemed to be doing fine without instructions. Not that he was embarrassed or anything.

"Hey," Griffin said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Everything's fine. Everyone's fine. Including Lance." Griffin began threading the poles through loops in the canvas. Keith stared. "I see you making headcounts. I do the same. It becomes and obsession, doesn't it? You just count to four or whatever over and over and over and then you count again just to make sure. And then sometimes you forget to count yourself and you panic because someone's missing and you can't figure out who. And...sometimes you're looking for a number that isn't there anymore."

Griffin looked up from his work and Keith met his eyes. There was something new there, something he hadn't noticed before. That dark, haunted something that came from killing people and seeing your people get killed. They really were one and the same. One of them was just a whole lot luckier. 

"Here, grab the other end of this," Griffin said, handing him two corners of a sheet.

"What is it?"

"A rain tarp. It can keep some heat in and definitely keeps the rain out." Keith mimicked Griffin's movements as they worked the tarp over the top of the little tent. Griffin tucked his head under the tarp. "There are little ties to keep the tarp on. I'll tie those if you'll do the stakes." Keith found the stakes and mallet and got to work. "So...If your sense of smell is strong enough to track somebody through the woods, what about your other senses?"

The curiosity on Griffin's voice softened Keith's irritation. He recognized that Griffin did not have the same experience with non-human life that Team Voltron had.

"My hearing is really keen. I can hear your watch ticking. And your breathing. And the stems of the flowers rustling together in the breeze."

"Holy shit." 

"It's not as great as you think it is," Keith said. Griffin raised an eyebrow. "You hear stuff you _never_ wanted to hear. For example, I know for a fact that Ina isn't always such a cold, calculating fish. Congrats."

"Sorry...I didn't...um. Sorry." Keith chuckled at Griffin's embarrassment. "And...Sorry for being a nosy asshole."

"It's fine," Keith said with a shrug. "It's different. It's new. And when it's not trying to kill you, it's exciting. I get it."

They continued their work in silence. Keith and Lance's tent was almost done when Lance, face flushed in the cool air, and Kosmo reached the ridgeline.

"Hey, guys. I'm so sorry, Keith. I totally ditched you."

"It's cool," Keith said. Lance's expression was still dripping with guilt. "Really, Lance. Did you have fun?" 

"Yeah. Your pupper sure loves the woods." Keith smiled at Kosmo, only to falter when his packmate gazed up at Lance with something akin to lovelorn adoration. Keith sincerely hoped he didn't look at Lance like that. He probably did.

"You've stolen my packmate," Keith deadpanned. "I have to fight you for him now."

"Share?"

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"Boys." Shiro. "Right. Griffin, unload the MREs from the plane. Kla-Keith. Lance. you two need to go down into the woods and collect firewood."

"You want us to haul firewood up that slope? What the fuck did we do to you?" Keith growled.

"Nothing. But you're the strongest and Lance is your partner, so..." Keith huffed and turned to Lance. Just in time to see him upend his entire pack in their tent.

"What?" he asked. "We can stick the wood in our packs."

"That's...actually a really good idea." Keith did the same, albeit taking the time to actually set up his stuff, and followed Lance back down the slope. He knew exactly what Shiro was doing and for once, he didn't mind.

"Take your time, boys!" Shiro called. "We've got a few hours, so there's no rush!" Keith rolled his eyes, but turned and gave his brother a casual salute.

Keith followed Lance down the slope, taking his time. The sun was lower in the sky, shafts of light slanting through the trees, striking Lance's delicate features in all the best ways. The gentle breeze rustled the gold and green leaves above them. He reached out a purple hand, running his fingers down the smooth white and brown bark. It felt different from the other trees he'd seen. Not as abrasive.

Lance lifted a short branch and put it in his pack.

"So-so Lance," Keith said. Lance kept working. "I've been thinking and-Listen I-we need-" This was painful.

"Don't hurt yourself, man." Lance could feel Keith's deathglare. "Just say it." Silence.

"There's kind of a lot." Lance turned to Keith. Oh, man. The poor guy looked more uncomfortable than Lance had ever seen him, a blush creeping across his nose. "I'm not sure..."

"We can go to the lake. Kosmo will want to swim, anyway."

A few minutes later, Lance and Keith were tossing their packs aside. Keith threw himself down on the mossy earth with a sigh and Lance sat next to him. Lance threw a stick into the water for Kosmo as Keith stared over the dark lake, deep in thought. His eyes were filled with shadows and there was a crease between his brows. He opened his mouth a few times, but then faltered. Lance was getting a little worried if he was being honest.

"Hey," Lance said softly, bumping his shoulder against Keith's. "Don't worry. Take your time. There's nothing you could say that I can't handle."

Keith turned to Lance, uncertain. He had a lot to say. But he had to say it. He had to. Lance deserved it. And...if he was ever going to have even a fraction of a chance here, he  _had_ to be honest. That's what you were supposed to do right? With the people you loved? You didn't keep secrets. You didn't tell half-truths. There had to be trust there instead. Keith took a deep breath. Trust Lance. _Trust. Lance._

"Okay. One thing at a time. Right. So...so Griffin." Keith swallowed. "Right, so..."

Lance scooted closer. Keith tried not to shiver. He wanted Lance to move closer. Closer than that. Right up next to him. Right in his personal space.

"Griffin and I used to be in the same class. I was always jealous of him. He was popular and had friends and a mom and dad and never went hungry and all of his stuff was new and expensive and he didn't have to worry about sharing or his housemates stealing it. I remember I saw him get picked up one day. Both of his parents were there. They immediately hugged him and asked him about his day. Teachers thought he had potential while I was just a waste of space. I remember the first time I met Shiro, I flew the simulator almost perfectly. Griffin got pissed. Shiro was impressed with me, but the teacher told him I was a problem child and suggested Griffin instead for an advanced program. I was so pissed I stole his car."

It all came out in an artless rush.  Keith would just have to hope it was good enough.

"Okay..." Lance said. "So what I'm getting is that Griffin was for you what you were for me...The person you were supposed to be." Lance felt a flutter of worry. What if he'd had this wrong the entire time. What if...

"There was more to it than that." Keith kept his eyes on the water, not daring to look at Lance. "I...I couldn't stop thinking about him. I watched him at school. I did things to get him to notice me. I wanted..." Keith swallowed hard.

"You liked him," Lance whispered. Keith glanced at him. 

"A lot." Keith sighed. "It doesn't really matter now. I mean, he's not a bad guy, and I don't hate him anymore. But...I don't feel that way about him anymore either. He's a teammate. A friend at best." He heard Lance's heartbeat slow down a touch and smiled a tiny bit. He really should get better at listening.

"Okay, so...the point of that was...?"

"I just wanted you to know."

"Okay, so are we done, or was there more?" At his silence, Lance stood up, brushing off his jeans. He already had one arm in his pack straps when Keith spoke again.

"What are you hiding from me?" Lance froze immediately.  _Dios._ Was Keith really doing this now?

"What are you talking about? You literally know my darkest secret." No response. "You really want to do this now? Right now?"

"Everything. We're doing Everything. Right now. Because otherwise you and I both know we'll never say any of it." Lance swallowed hard, his face filled with a storm of emotions. "I'm gonna ask you again, Lance. What are you still hiding from me? You're pissed at me for something and-"

"Because you left!" Lance finally yelled. "You left us, Keith! You left me! And then I was alone with Shiro who was acting weird and wouldn't listen and suddenly I was just second best pilot and didn't matter-"

"You've always mattered!"

"YOU! LEFT! ME! YOU LEFT US!" Lance's body seemed to shrink a foot, his voice withered away into a heartbroken whisper. "I... _We_ missed you. I thought you cared about us. I thought you were happy with us. With me."

"You're the reason I left," Keith whispered. Lance's face seemed to lose all of it's color at once. "No, no. Lance, that's not-Ugh! Sit back down. Please?"

Lance looked away, chewing on his trembling lip. Keith could hear his heart pounding in his chest. Then a single tear fell, and Keith broke. He reached up and gently tugged on Lance's hand. Keith drew his thumb in tiny circles on the back of his hand, a comforting move his father used to use on him whenever he was angry.

"Lance. Please?" No response. Keith sighed. "Remember that time you came in to talk to me?" No response. Keith gave his warm brown hand a squeeze. He could feel that rapid, fluttering heartbeat, the deep loveline, the earth worked into the creases from picking up firewood. Perfect hands. Not opposed to hard work, but still gentle and soft. The hands of a hero. Hands Keith loved.

"You talked about how there was one of us too many. You counted us all on your hand, and...then you just held up your pinky. Like you were this tiny, useless little digit that didn't need to be there." Lance finally turned back to him, eyes still wounded and suspicious. Another tear escaped his eyes. Keith tugged on his hand again. Lance's warmth had seeped through into Keith's chilly digits. "All I could see was your little finger all standing on its lonesome, and I..." Keith sighed. "Lance, listen to me," Keith implored softly. "Please?"

Lance surrendered and sat back down next to him, even closer this time. Keith reached over with his other, colder hand and gently brushed away a stray tear. Lance met those dark eyes and saw them filled with a concerned kind of sadness. And something far, far deeper.  _Dios_ , Lance wished he could have this.

"I'm adaptable," Keith stated. "I can do pretty much anything, so long as I can be an emotionally constipated porcupine with no discernible charm. But you?" Keith brushed away another tear. Lance's heart raced at the closeness, and the feeling of the warming hand still in his. Lance's fingers slowly contracted around the long, thin purple digits.

"You were  _born_ to be a pilot, Lance." Red, Blue and Black spoke up for the first time in days, roaring in Lance's brain, proud and triumphant. Keith chuckled. "See? The pride agrees. Yellow and Green, too." Keith looked back over the sparkling blue water. "I can feel it, when we're particularly united. We all can."

Keith picked up a stone and tossed it, letting it skip and ripple on the lake's surface. Kosmo went bounding after it.

"You just feel such joy in being a pilot. It's what you were meant to do. Me? I'm meant to be whatever is needed. I'm a survivor. A soldier. I...I wasn't about to take Red away from you, Lance. That's why I left."

Lance furrowed his brow. His grip on Keith's hand tightened.

"But I...you're the better pilot. I'm just...me."

"First, not anymore. We're equal. Second, exactly. You're you. You're the pinky finger. The support finger. People use the pinky finger to stick under their overpriced coffee and their drinks and they use it to hold up their phone. And it's the finger people use to make promises. The finger people know they can trust. The finger people rely on when there's doubt."

Lance looked down at the stones and moss beneath them. Keith reached up and put a hand on his cheek. He drew his thumb across Lance's cheekbone. Lance leaned into the touch with a sigh. Yeah. He was breaking. Broken. Maintaining his resolve was like standing in the middle of a frozen lake, and the ice beneath him was melting. The thinning surface beneath his feet was cracking and it was only a matter of time before he fell through. Not that he'd done a whole lot to get off the ice when he'd realized it was weakening.

Lance wondered if this was how addicts felt. He'd always wondered how someone could lie and tell themselves 'I can quit any time' over and over and over and actually believe it when the evidence to the contrary was right there in their hand. His eyes found their fingers, half intertwined and he though he might have understood. 

"You're what I rely on, Lance. Just knowing you were out there? That got me through some of the most miserable times of my life. I missed you guys so much you have no idea. It would make me feel sick and I was so depressed being away from you all. And every now and then you'd call or send me a message and it would be the best part of my day. I needed to know you were out there."

Lance lifted his face to Keith's, drinking in the warm smile there. How could such a grumpy guy be so damn soft? It shouldn't be possible. One day, he swore. One day soon, that ice would melt away entirely. He bet the water would be nice.

"I have one last thing I need to say," Keith whispered, brushed his thumb across Lance's cheekbone again. He gave Lance's hand a squeeze. Lance watched the color of his cheeks deepen.

"Don't say it," Lance whispered, a chill surrounding his chest. Keith looked at him, and those midnight eyes with their yellow sclera gazed at him with such pain. "Not yet. Not now." Lance pushed Keith's dark hair out of his face. "When-when I'm ready, I'll say it first, okay?"

Keith's eyes clouded with doubt. Lance smiled a crooked smile and held up his pinky finger.

"I promise." Keith smothered a laugh and hesitantly locked pinkies. "I am a pinky finger after all. My word is my bond, Keith."

Keith gazed into Lance's eyes. They had a sparkle to them and Keith didn't think it was the tears. He breathed a sigh of relief and grinned, letting his long canines show without fear.

"How long have we been sitting here?" Lance asked suddenly. The light was now a golden yellow and the trees were burning a deep coppery gold. It was getting late.

"Aw quiznak. They're gonna come looking for us soon. Come on." Keith stood and grabbed his pack. "Let's get some more wood and get back."

As he gathered some small sticks and twigs to help the flames catch, Lance was using his bayard to slice up a large branch for fuel. 

"Hey, Keith," Lance said, voice filled with mischief. "You're the middle finger." Keith tripped over his feet in surprise.

"What?"

"You're the middle finger."

"Explain?" There was that grumpy tone Lance loved so much!

"You're always down for a fight!"

"I hate you," Keith laughed, helping Lance with his branch. "So much!" Lance threw his head back and laughed. "I worked all night on that speech, you absolute ass!"

Lance chuckled. He began shoving sections of the branch into Keith's pack.

"Wait, did you really?"

"Yeah. You think I can say shit like that off the top of my head? I spent hours figuring out how to say all of that!" The poor guy looked so put out.

"Awww," Lance said laughing. "I'm sorry, Keith." Lance chucked a stick off into the middle of the lake for Kosmo, who was delighted for another chance to get wet.

They headed back, hauling their loads up the slope with happy silence and minimal struggle.

"Hey!" Hunk said, running over. He was wearing a crown of yellow and white flowers. "You're finally back! Where were you guys? Dude...Lance, have you been crying, buddy?"

Hunk's big brown eyes looked down at his friend with concern. 

"I'm alright, Hunk," Lance said with a grin. Hunk narrowed his eyes. "Really, buddy. I'm alright. Better than I've felt in awhile, actually.

"We'll, we're glad to hear it, Lance," Kolivan said. Lance was surprised. Kolivan had never spoken to him directly. 

He looked at their large group. They were all smiling at him and Keith. This, Lance thought. This was home. His family. Or at least a large chunk of it. He really wanted this family and his other family to meet up. And they would. In three days. Poor Keith was still blissfully unaware.

Everyone gathered around the fire and opened their MREs. Lance and Keith passed chili beans and cinnamon spiced apples back and forth. Keith confessed his undying love for cinnamon.

"So, McClain," Iverson said as everyone finished eating. "Care to explain what these are?" Iverson held up two unlabeled glass bottles full of amber liquid.

"Aw, fuck. I was worried they'd do room inspections while we were gone and-"

"What is it?" Keith asked.

"Tequila. My ex Juanita lives next door, so when we went to my place, she slipped a couple bottles in the side compartment of my bike."

"For old times sake?" Pidge asked, voice dripping with implications.

"Something like that," Lance admitted sheepishly. "If I share, do I get off clean?"

Iverson considered it.

"Is it any good?"

"Best tequila this side of the border," Lance declared. Iverson tossed him a bottle and opened the other.

"I'll be the judge of that, kid."

"Cheers, Commander. Don't put it in your coffee."

"Quiznaking watch me kid," the gruff soldier said with a smirk. He opened his bottle a tipped it back. "Cheers, kid. You shoulda stayed with that girl."

Lance opened the bottle with a laugh and took a swig with practiced ease. Everyone stared. He passed the bottle to Keith, who took a cautious sip. He gave a nod.

" _Es bueno_ ," Keith said without hesitation. He looked so proud of himself. Lance's heart (which already existed as a liquid at this point) melted further.

"Well, shit. It's so good it taught Keith Spanish!" Pidge said, holding out her tiny hands for the bottle.

"Here," Lance said passing it over. "Just a little for you, okay Pidge?"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Pidge drank and passed it to Hunk. 

"So...where did that Spanish come from,  _pendejo_?"

"I...might be trying to pick up a few things. Veronica's been a big help."

"You went to my sister to learn Spanish?" Keith stared resolutely into the fire, a deep purple hue spreading across his cheeks and the back of his neck. The silence was deafening. Veronica gave Lance a wink. Shit.

"We live in Arizona," Keith finally mumbled, blushing a little. "I should've learned years ago." The bottle returned and Lance took another swallow. 

"Hey, guys. How about we weed out the lightweights?" Rizavi said. Everyone laughed.

"You're going down, McClain," Keith growled.

"In your dreams, Kogane." Kosmo came over (still a little wet) and lay down on their feet.

 

*Two Hours Later*

 

"An' then-An' then Allura jusht gave this perfect pouting face!" Everyone was laughing. "An' Coran was jusht like, 'That's perfect! Jusht like that!'"

"Allura, I need a demonstration. I have to make sure I was represented properly," Keith said. There was a flush across his nose and cheeks.

Allura, also flushing, folded her arms and tried to pout, but couldn't stop giggling. Pretty much everyone was laughing save Krolivan. Until Krolia let out a chuckle.

"The resemblance is uncanny," she laughed. Kolivan let out a guffaw. He reached over and ruffled Keith's hair. 

"What's that word you use, Lance? 'Grumpy-puss' wasn't it?" Everyone roared with laughter.

"Grumpy _pants_ , Kol. But I like your shtyle." More laughter. 

"I'm not  _that_ grumpy," Keith mumbled, staring vacantly down at the bottle in his hands. It was over three-quarters empty.

"Naw, buddy," Lance said, throwing an arm around Keith and giving him a squeeze. "You're not that grumpy. A'leasht not any more. An' you're soft an' cuddly on the inside." Lance wrapped his other arm around Keith and sighed, resting his head on the guy's arm. "So soft," he sighed.

"You are so drunk," Keith mumbled. "So. Drunk."

"Mmm." Everyone was quiet. One of Lance's hands found the long hair at the nape of his neck. "You gonna catch up?"

Keith took another absentminded swig. He knew he was blushing furiously as Lance put his head in Keith's lap.

"You are gonna have so many regrets in the morning, Sharpshooter."

"So many," Lance sighed. "But..." Lance settled in, snuggling up to Keith's torso. "I like this. Moments like this. Y'know," he slurred. "This's why I do what I do. Stuff like this, s'rounded by people I love just havin' fun? S'what life's a-fucking-bout."

Keith smiled a ruffled Lance's hair. Yeah. This was good.

"Hey, Lance?" Hunk said slowly.

"Yeah?"

"What's that interesting bruise on your torso?"

"Oh thassa bruise from this guy," Lance slurs, jerking a thumb at Keith. "Keeps kicking my ash in training. I've got more. Wanna see?" Lance stumbles to his feet and tugs off his shirt, revealing a torso and set of arms covered in bruises in various shades of purple, blue, and black with a bit of green and yellow thrown in for good measure.

"Jesus, Keith. You could hold back a _touch_!" Pidge scolded.

"Don't feel too bad for him," Keith said. "Look!"

Keith pulled up his shirt to reveal a large, ghastly patch of skin, abraded and inflamed on his ribs. It was covered in tiny scabs and looked even worse in the firelight. There were other bruises dotting his skin, but he was actually rather proud of this one.

"Oh my," Krolia said, leaning forward. "That must've cracked a rib or two."

"It did," Keith said with a grin.

"I'm  _sorry_! I didn't mean to!" Lance threw himself back down, putting his head back in Keith's lap. "It was an acshident!" he slurred.

Amid noises of skepticism from the surrounding crowd and a "Ha!" from Ina (situated in Griffin's lap, much to his delight), Keith suddenly remembered something.

"I never did get to see the beach."

"We kin go 'morrow. Or maybe day after. 'Morrow's gonna hurt too much."

"Speaking of which," Shiro said, surprisingly still functional. "We should all go get some rest. Tomorrow, we can suffer together while we pack up."

Nobody argued, finding their respective partners and heading for their tents. Keith helped Lance (who had drunk the most, third to Iverson and Coran) to his feet.

"Come on, Sharpshooter. Let's go."

"You're the firsht pershon who ever called me that." Everyone stopped.

"No," Shiro said. "You called yourself that first."

"I dreamed it," Lance mumbled, swaying where he stood. "You were carr'ing me to the pod an' you called me Sharpshooter."

"Yeah. I did. Nice of you to finally remember."

"So i'was real," he murmured.

"Yep, now come on. I'm drunk and you're drunk, so we should go get some sleep, okay?"

"Everybody drink some water!" Shiro hollered over the field.

"Okay, Space Dad," Lance whispered.

Back at their tent, Keith realized Lance had never set up his stuff. It was all still dumped in a pile.

"Here, you sit. I'll set up your sleep system, alright?"

Lance threw his arms over Keith's shoulders and, with a surprising strength, pulled Keith back. Practically into the smaller boy's lap. 

"Can I jus' shtay wichu?" Those long brown arms were tightening around Keith's waist.

Here's the thing. Keith had once had a very long conversation with himself, out loud, in the middle of the night, about how he would never, ever, ever have sex with someone while they were drunk. He would never, ever, ever take advantage of someone like that. Ever. It was despicable. He'd promised himself that he would never do anything someone else (or he himself) might regret. But there were several problems. One, now he was actually drunk, and his thought processes were admittedly not half so good as normal. Two, he'd never told himself he wouldn't snuggle up with the most beautiful person in the entire fucking universe while drunk. Three, Lance's warmth felt really, really nice against him. Being wanted felt really, really nice.

So, like a fool, Keith gave in. And that's how he ended up lying on his back with a gorgeous Latino snuggled up against him, head on his chest. And then there was nothing left to do but breathe in the scent of impending rain and something fresh and salty Keith still couldn't identify. He could feel the bruises from Lance's vastly improved fighting skills aching from the boy's weight. Lance's warmth seeped into his own body, threatening to fill the empty space in his heart. He worked his fingers into the soft brown hair and sighed. He really wasn't going to get over this. His last thought, as his breathing began to match up with Lance's, was that of a brown pinky finger and a purple pinky finger locked together in a promise for the future.

The next morning, his thoughts were invaded by a pulsing headache and the arm still wrapped around his waist. As Keith carefully extricated himself from Lance's grip, it occurred to him that Lance had finally slept through the night. He suspected it might be the first time since they'd returned to Earth. Keith was glad for it, even if the sleep was alcohol-induced. He left a canteen of water next to Lance's head and stumbled out to the fire, where the five "real adults" (Shiro, Iverson, Coran and 'Krolivan') were sitting laughing and eating breakfast. Bastards.

"Morning, little brother!" Shiro called, unnecessarily loud. "Sleep well?"

"Where's Lance?" Griffin asked. He seemed in decent shape too.

"Still sleeping."

"Shouldn't you get him up?" Griffin pressed. Keith shook his head.

"I don't think he's slept well since we-"

"Hey, Samurai."

"Lance? I thought you were still asleep."

"I wish. Headache woke me up." The Latino stumbled over, snuggling up to Keith's side, wrapping his arms around one of Keith's. Mercifully, no one reacted.

"We should go wake everyone else up and get out of here," Krolia said. "It's going to rain."

Keith sniffed the air, managing to bypass the scent of the flowers. That scent. The smell of coming rain. Keith was going to die seeking it out. He nodded.

"It is. I'd say we have an hour. Maybe two." Krolia and Kolivan nodded in agreement. Kosmo looked up at the sky and wagged his tail, willing the rain to fall sooner.

Three hungover hours of staggering and complaining later, camp was finally broken.

When they arrived at the Garrison, Iverson dismissed everyone for the day, citing a desire to spend a day with his wife. Keith sighed with relief, taking a stumbling, still dysfunctional Lance back to their neighboring rooms. 

"Can I just stay with you?" Lance whispered, drawing closer. "Please? I wanna stay with you." Lance turned his head, nuzzling Keith's arm.

"If-if you're sure," Keith whispered back, drawing Lance closer. "If you're sure, I'd love for you to stay." And he would. Keith was a sucker for cuddly Lance.

Two hours later, Keith found himself (still slightly wet) in his bed back at the Garrison. Lance (also still slightly wet) was spooned up against his belly. As he lay there, nuzzled into soft brown hair, there was a warm flutter of hope in his chest. Keith had no experience in this territory, but it really did feel like the start of something. Hopefully, something great.


	16. The Scent of Coming Rain and Something Else

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith has one more thing he wanted to see before leaving Earth behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Backstory:  
> I am straight. Both of my younger siblings are LGBTQA+. When we were kids, my mom would always tell us, "I would still love you." This always rubbed me the wrong way. Like, "You're not what you should be, but I guess I could live with it."
> 
> I wish she'd said, "You're perfect. Always."
> 
> Song is "One and Only" by Adele
> 
> Trigger Warnings:  
> -Excessive Use of Google Translate  
> -Pseudo-forced Outing  
> -Making out (includes biting, but not hard core)
> 
> Also Black is a cockblock. Just sayin'

When Lance woke up, Keith was still next to him. The boy was lying in his back, and Lance was curled up against his side, head on Keith's chest. He could smell cinnamon and campfires, feel the sleeping heartbeat beneath his fingertips. A purple hand closed every so gently around his own and the one at his waist made it all seem so much more intimate. Like this wasn't one of Hungover Lance's terrible life choices (Hungover Lance had made a lot of those), but one of Regular, Everyday Bisexual Lance's merely questionable life choices. Lance wasn't sure whether he regretted this or not. A glance at his communicator told him it was nearing 5 vargas. He had a meeting to get to at 6.

Lance was able to slide out of Keith's gentle grip, leaving him with an ache of where that contact used to be. And it would seem he wasn't the only one in that regard, because Keith promptly rolled onto his side with a whimper, arm seeking out the missing warmth. His dark brows furrowed and his lips formed a tiny frown in Lance's absence. Lance could still just leave. He could. Keith would probably worry if Lance was okay, worry that he had screwed up somehow, but that could totally be fixed later. He could just go. Escape the scene of his crime. But basic human decency held him back. 

So Lance went over and tapped Keith awake. Those yellowed midnight eyes gazed up at him, enormous, adoring. The hairs on Lance's arms stood on end. 

"Hey, I'm gonna head out, okay?" Keith gave a sleepy nod and snuggled back into his pillow. Lance drew the blankets up around Keith's shoulders and the boy sighed. He ran his fingers through the soft raven hair and watched as Keith moved into the touch, a tiny smile gracing his face. Poor Keith. He really did like physical affection. Was clearly starving for it. He deserved to have it more often. Kosmo came over and put his head in Lance's lap. Lance patted his head with his free hand.

Once Lance was sure Keith was well and truly asleep, he headed to Black. Next to the lion was the equipment Marco had brought over yesterday while Lance was sleeping off months of anxiety-induced insomnia. Black, angel that she was, opened up a secret compartment to hide the surf boards in and lowered her ramp for him so he could load an overnight bag and a cooler. Sweet girl. She was willing to work with him, and it touched Lance's heart.

Lance finished packing and checked his watch. Quiznak. He was running late. He'd have to call his  _Mamá_ on the way to the music room.

 _"Hola, Mamá. ¿Cómo va la cocina?"_ [Hi, Mom. How's the cooking coming?]

 _"Que va muy bien. Terminaré hoy."_ [It's going great. I'll be finished today.]

 _"¡Muy bueno! Necesito irme, así-"_ [Great! I have to go, so-] 

" _Mijo, ¿Está todo bien? Sabes que te amo, ¿verdad? Sabes que puedes decirme algo, ¿verdad?"_ [My son, is everything alright? You know I love you, right? You know you can tell me anything, right?]

" _Todo...todo esta bien. Estoy bien."_ [Everything...everything is fine. I'm fine.]

" _Okay, Mijo. Pero me preocupo por ti. No eres tú mismo. Sé que algo te está preocupado. Cuando estés listo, puedes decirme, ¿aprobado?"_ [Okay, my son. But I worry about you. You're not yourself. I know something is bothering you. When you're ready, you can tell me, okay?]

 _"Okay, Mamá. Voy a trabajar en él. Pero necesito irme ahora. Adios, Mamá. Te quiero."_ [Okay, Mom. I'll work on it. But I have to go now. Goodbye, Mom. I love you.]

 _"Adios, Mijo. Te quiero. Hasta mañana."_ [Goodbye, my son. I love you. See you tomorrow.]

 _"Hasta mañana."_ [See you tomorrow.]

Lance hung up, staring at his phone. He threw himself down on the couch with a loud groan. What was his mother on about? Could he pass it off as him being worried about going back into Space or his future after the war? Or was it too late? Did his Mom know? Did he really even care anymore?

Lance was exhausted. There was a reason he'd spent almost all of yesterday in deep sleep. And there was a reason he had a permanent ache between his shoulders. The truth was that keeping things from his family (both of them) combined trying and failing to avoid his feelings for Keith was slowly killing him and driving him insane. He dragged his hands down his face, knowing it was bad for his skin.

"Did  _Mamá_  just invite you out of the closet?" Lance squeaked, jumping up to see the entire squad standing by the doorway. He'd just been too preoccupied to see them. Veronica had her hands on her hips. "And did you seriously just not take advantage of that?"

"Veronica!" Shiro barked.

" _Dios!_ How long have you guys been there!" Why had he put the conversation on speaker phone? "And what the quiznak-"

"Oh, please,  _hermanito precioso._ I used to wipe your butt. Also, you own a sparkly pink sweater." Lance registered that Shiro looked seconds away from murdering his sister.

"But I-"

"Lance," Pidge said with a frown, deciding to rescue Veronica. "We literally have a pool going about when you and Keith are going to start dating."

Lance stared at them for a few seconds then buried his face in his hands, trying his best not to cry. Quiznak. This was going to go terribly. A large hand found his shoulder.

"Lance," Shiro said softly. "We love you. Every piece of you, from beginning to end." Lance gave another squeak, trying to hold back a sob. Shiro wrapped him up in a hug. "You are perfect, Lance."

Lance gave himself a few moments to pull himself together. He was loved. And not "still loved" or "loved anyway". Just loved. It was a lot. It was so much. Almost too much. These people loved him now and forever and it meant everything. He'd love to take a few minutes to cry about it and maybe get hugs from everyone else, but he had work to do and one last thing he needed to show Keith. So he indulged just long enough to pull himself together, then gave Shiro a double-tap on the shoulder and drew away.

"Right," he said, "So-so anyway, Keith deserves a party, so-"

"Actually, about that," hunk said. "Why does he need a party, exactly? I'm not sure he's really the type of guy-"

"Because," Shiro interrupted. "No one has ever gotten together to celebrate Keith's birthday, so we're doing it. He should be celebrated just like any of us. Even if just this once." 

"Right," Lance said. "So-"

"Where are you taking him?" Krolia interrupted. Lance scowled. Apparently being outed by his Space family (in admittedly not that bad of a way) meant he could be interrupted six billion times. Though he didn't miss Shiro's current preoccupation with giving Veronica a disappointed frown. He didn't rescue her.

"I'm taking him to the beach. He hasn't seen it and he's wanted to since he got here, so I figured-"

"So it's a date?" Allura asked. "Also, I want to see this sparkly pink sweater of yours." Why must his team be like this?

"You can have my sweater, 'Llura. Veronica will get it for you. And it's not a date. I'd do this for him either way. He deserves some good, clean memories of Earth to take with him."

After everyone got out their collective "awws", Lance moved onto more practical things.

"Right. So Shiro, I know you have Captain stuff when you're done guilting Veronica, so you're off the hook. Otherwise, just bother whoever is nearest. Hunk,  _Mamá_ 's finishing the flan today, so I need you to do the cake." Hunk gave a salute. "Also, some real food. Pidge, you're the DJ."

"On it," the tiny girl said with a grin, bouncing up and down in her little green dress. "I wonder if we have enough pictures in our database to do a slideshow?"

"Find out. Allura, Romelle, MFEs, Vero, you're on decorations. Go fucking nuts." Whoops of excitement. 

"I'm gonna do fireworks!" Rizavi exclaimed.

" _NO_ , Rizavi. We're doing it inside. No fireworks." Lance ignored the grumblings about himself being a killjoy. "Not happening. Sorry. Krolivan-no, don't even. It's obvious-you guys just...absorb the culture, try not to break anything. Coran? Walk around and tell wild party stories. I know you have a million of them. It'll set the mood."

"And what do we get in return,  _hermanito precioso_?"

"In-in return?" Oh jeez. That didn't sound good.

"I think you should play for us, Lance," Shiro said with a smile, meeting his gaze briefly before turning his stare back to Lance's loudmouth older sister.

Lance sighed. He should've known that it would happen like this. But Veronica kind of deserved it anyway, so he let Shiro have this one.

"Alright. Alright. Give me a minute and I'll play something."

Lance went to the piano and sat down. What to play?

"Play 'Sun'," Veronica whispered. "Please,  _hermanito?_ "

"Oh, and I suppose you want me to sing, too?"

"You sing?" came a voice from the doorway. "What's going on in here?"

Everyone turned to see Keith, rubbing sleep from his eyes.

"Oh, we're just goofing off," Lance said casually. "This lot dragged me affectionately out of the closet and now they want a concert for their efforts."

Keith frowned, giving the group an evil eye. He might still have sleep fogging his brain, but he really would kill them for their insensitivity.

"Are you okay?"

"Fine." Keith scrutinized his expression. The smile was genuine and some of the weight seemed to have been lifted from his shoulders. The crew would live. For now.

"Are you gonna play something or dismiss us to cry into our pancakes?" Keith asked. "Also is it ethical to put chocolate syrup on pancakes?"

He didn't mean to sound grumpy, but he really wasn't in a good morning mood. After Lance had left, he hadn't been able to find deep sleep again. He didn't like the implications.

"Of course it's ethical. Especially with whipped cream. And if you put chocolate chips in the batter-"

"Lance,  _why?_ " Shiro all but sobbed.

"-and of course I'll play for you but I'm not playing 'Sun'."

Lance lifted his fingers to the keys and began to play. Keith waited with bated breath, hoping it would be more upbeat than last time.

" _You've been on my mind_

_I grow fonder every day_

_Lose myself in time_

_Just thinking of your face_

_God only knows why it's taken me_

_So long to let my doubts go_

_You're the only one that I want."_

Holy shit. Lance could sing. Like, Keith had known that already, sure. But he could fucking  _sing_. Like, with strength, and passion, and a smile.

" _I don't know why I'm scared_

_I've been here before_

_Every feeling, every word_

_I've imagined it all_

_You'll never know if you never try_

_To forgive your past_

_And simply be mine."_

Was it possible to love this guy even more? Was Keith's affection just running circles around itself at this point? Did it even matter, when Lance was just so determined and resilient and able to let being dragged out of the closet just roll off his shoulders like a light fog?

Iverson came in with coffee and leaned on the other side of the door frame. He smiled at the scene before him, then pulled out his phone to take a video for his wife. He added a cation that said, "Totally not a Klance moment. Totally not losing $80." Oh, Shiro was so busted.

" _I dare you to let me be yours_

_Your one and only_

_I promise I'm worthy_

_To hold in your arms_

_So come on and give me the chance_

_To prove I am the one who can walk that mile_

_Until the end starts."_

Keith listened, vaguely aware of the lovelorn look on his face, as the love of his life - _Wait, what?_ \- sang his heart out. He had his head thrown back, eyes closed, a smile full of white teeth and a happy pink tint to his cheeks. True to form, Lance thrived on the attention, blooming in predicable yet spectacular ways. It was good to see him almost relaxed. Happy. But eventually the song ended, and the enchantment was gone, and it was time to get to work.

"What'd you think, Samurai?" Oh.

"I..." Honesty. "I never knew you were so good at something." Wait. Shit.

Lance's face contorted into something like confusion mixed with amusement. Then he burst out laughing, and Keith buried his face in his hands, trying to hide his blush.

"I am so sorry. That's not what I meant. I-"

"Pack your things, Mullet. We're going camping."

"What, now?" _Why?_ "We just went camping." Keith hesitated. "And aren't you mad?"

"Um, no? I know what you meant, buddy. Now go." Lance gave him a shove and Keith sighed. Resistance was futile.

 

*One Hour Later*

 

"Okay, 'bye guys!" Lance called over his shoulder to where everyone else was still enjoying their breakfast. "We'll see you tomorrow!"

"Wha-Tomorrow?" Keith asked as he was shoved toward the lions.

"Shut your quiznak and get in Black."

Keith sighed, overnight bag slung over his shoulder. The Altean girl in the med bay was expected to wake any day now and he should really be preparing for their future missions. Not being dragged out to God-knows-where so everyone could plan the "surprise" party he honestly didn't want.

But he would be with Lance, and that was good. Probably. Hopefully. Definitely. Maybe. But he really wasn't sure he could stand another trip right now.

"Hey," Lance said softly, kindly. "Listen. This isn't some wild adventure or anything. This is just...something nice I want to do for you."

"You won't even tell me where we're going," Keith practically whined.

"It's a surprise," Lance whispered. "But I think you'll like it. It's kinda chilly right now, but upside is it'll be quiet and you don't actually have to do anything in order to enjoy it. Plus, I had Hunk make us actual food. No MREs this time."

Keith sighed again. It really didn't sound too bad. And he trusted Lance. He might not want to go, but he might regret it if he didn't.

"Alright," he said finally. "C'mon, Kosmo. We're going on another adventure." Kosmo bounded up and down in excitement and Keith smiled. At least Kosmo was going to have fun.

As Lance got into Black, he couldn't help but hope Keith's attitude shifted. He knew Keith was really tired and overstimulated and probably just needed a break from people at this point, but hopefully this would help give him that break. 

A few minutes later (they'd been flying rather slowly), they touched down.

"Lance, do you know why Black won't let me see?"

"Because it's a surprise, Mullet. Duh." He heard a huff. 

"Well, can I leave now?"

"Yes! Come on! Oh, wait 'til you see it!"

Keith heard the excitement in Lance's voice. This was different, he realized. Whatever Lance had to show him was important to him. As the ramp lowered and Keith stepped out, he understood why. 

The sky was blue, with a line of clouds far in the distance. The water was...Keith had seen pictures of the ocean before, but he'd never actually believed that the sea could be that color. He could hear the surf crashing against the rocks. He could feel the breeze carrying a familiar salty scent with it. The sun was shining and despite the chill in the air, he felt warm from the inside out.

And Lance wasn't even looking at him. He was gazing out at the sea, wind in his soft brown hair, a soft smile on his face.

"Welcome to Cuba, Samurai."  _Holy shit._ "Veradero Beach, to be specific." 

"Lance, this...How can you bear to be away from here?" he whispered. "It's-Lance, it's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen."  _Well, second most beautiful._

"Yeah," Lance sighed. "It really is, isn't it?" Lance sat down on the sand and gazed at the surf. "This is where my mom married my dad. Right here."

Keith sat next to him and watched Kosmo "sneak" his way into the water. This was nice, he thought. Just sitting here, no pressure to talk. No pressure to move, to do anything really. This was easy. This was something he could do.

"So how come you're suddenly cool with James' existence?"

"What?"

"You said yesterday you don't hate him anymore. What happened?"

"We're the same," Keith whispered. "We-we're both leaders. We have the same fears, the same demons. It just took me a while to see it."

Lance nodded. The silence returned.

"I'm sorry they outed you," Keith murmured. "That wasn't right."

"It's okay. Vero just kind of blurted it out. She didn't mean anything by it. Plus, I suspect they were worried about me. I haven't exactly been handling things well. It kind of felt like an intervention. Y'know like they'd finally had enough of my shit and...I still have to talk to my family."

"Are you actually going to?"

"I mean...yes? I think? At some point? I...I want to, I think. Like, when I first realized, I was like, 'I am never going to tell anybody ever,' but now...I dunno I guess things have changed. Like, knowing you guys all still love me-"

"No, Lance. We don't 'still love' you. We love you. That's it. Do you-I don't know how to say this. Hang on." Keith tried to find the line where the sky and sea collided, but they just blended together so seamlessly. "It's not something we have to look past or whatever. It's not even something we have to accept. It's just another part of you and we should embrace it, like we embrace your music, and your fighting skills and your attachment to the color blue and-" Keith broke off. He was too close to things he wasn't supposed to say yet. "And we do embrace it, Lance."

Lance ran his fingers through the sand, contemplating Keith's words. Is that really how this was supposed to work? "You're perfect" and that's it. Not "you're still" or "anyway"? He sighed. What else had he gotten wrong? He turned to Keith, soaking up the serene, peaceful expression on his face. Oh. Right. He'd gotten this wrong too. He perused the seascape before him, the cliffs to the left, jutting out into deeper water.

"Hey," he said, elbowing Keith. "Wanna go for a walk? Be nice to stretch our legs."

Keith eyed the creeping clouds in the distance. He could swear they were getting darker. And closer. Better to take in the scenery now, before the weather changed.

"Sure," he said, brushing off his clothes. "But if we're going in the water, maybe I should change?"

Keith had noticed Lance eyeing the cliffs and called to mind the discomfort of soaked skinny jeans from the lake incident.

"Yeah, we should do that." 

A few minutes later, the two were off, dressed in the black spandex bodysuits they used for training. The breeze slipped through the fabric, tickling his skin.

Everything was green. And yeah, he'd seen a field full of wildflowers (in mid-October, no less) and spent two years on the back of a forested space whale, but this was different. It was lush and green and an iguana glared at him lazily from a sun-kissed rock and birds sang in the trees and how the fuck could the McClains have ever left?! He supposed he should be grateful since he'd met Lance, but still.

"We left two years before my  _Mamá_ got pregnant with me," Lance murmured. "My father wanted to explore Space and the Garrison gave him an opportunity." The uphill climb was nothing to sneer at, picking their way through the foliage and sneaking past a small crocodile and Keith was glad for all their training. Even if he was covered in bruises.

"Ah." Keith actually knew what had happened to Ian McClain, thanks to his secret fondness for books. "Hey, are we in any danger? I just saw a crocodile."

"It was just a little one. There are bigger ones, though, so do watch yourself. I've seen a couple." Lance must've taken his silence for worry, because he fell in beside him. "Hey, don't worry. We're not gonna get eaten by anything, alright? This place is a paradise."

"There are sharks here, too, aren't there?"

"Yep."

"You're gonna try and teach me how to surf, aren't you?"

"Yep."

"We're so gonna die."

"No, you're not. Not if you survive  _this_ ," Lance said, pushing aside a few palm branches to reveal a glorious cliff that dropped right off the edge of the world.

"Oh my God, Lance. No, okay? Like, we don't have jetpacks, or armor, we don't know how deep it is..."

"Keith, trust me. It's perfectly safe. Me and  _mis hermanos_ used to jump off this ledge all the time when we'd visit. There's even a picture of my dad with Marco in his arms mid-jump!"

Keith hesitated. He felt naked again, and he didn't like it. It was so much worse now that they were up here. Was Keith afraid of heights? He didn't  _think_ so. It didn't seem possible.

"Keith, jump with me."

Keith looked up from the sandy, rocky ground and gazed at Lance with his windswept hair and brown skin gleaming gold in the sun and his sparkling blue eyes dark from the pale blue sky behind him and...and a hand extended, reaching for him. Out to him. An invitation to join him.

"Jump with me, Keith."

Keith reached out, marveling at how perfectly their hands fit together, despite only sharing half their ancestry. Lance's fingers curled around his and the boy's smile deepened. Keith took a deep breath. Could Lance feel his heart pounding through their joined hands? It was just their impending death. That's it. That's all. It had absolutely nothing to do with the deep look Lance was giving him.

Lance was in the middle of the same kind of crisis. Keith really was beautiful, with his raven hair shining a dark aubergine in the sun and his violet skin gleaming in the light and the color shading his cheeks. His eyes looked so dark even in the daylight and he wore the softest smile even as his lips slipped away from his fangs, a smile for him and only him. He could feel the blood pulsing through their fingertips, quickening as a new kind of ache took him over.

"Okay. If I'm gonna die, it might as well be with you."

"That's the spirit," Lance choked. He moved to stand next to Keith. "Ready?" Keith nodded. "One, Two, Three, GO!" And they took off at a sprint, soaring over the edge of the world, hands locked together.

Keith remembered what Lance had said that night they'd lain together at his house. "It feels like you're flying. Like you're dying. And the water brings you back to life." And, yeah. That's exactly what it was like, right down to Keith's heart leaping in his throat the moment the ground disappeared and just  _stopping_. For the briefest of moments, gravity ceased to function, and then they were falling and falling and falling and it seemed to take forever even though it only took maybe a few seconds. Then the impact forced the air from his lungs and his head broke the surface and sweet salty air rushed in and he was gasping not because he almost drowned but because he was just so fucking alive and he couldn't get enough of it.

And Lance was laughing, hair askew and stuck at odd angles all over his head and water glistening on his skin and Kosmo was running along the shore in the distance chasing crabs and suddenly Keith realized just how glad he was that he was there. That they were both there. That he came back and chose to stay. And he wasn't leaving again. He was going to hold onto this, to moments like this, forever.

"What'd you think, Samurai?" Lance called as they began swimming to shore. "Still alive?"

Keith grinned at him.

"Still alive!" he shouted over the surf, getting a mouthful of saltwater. It tasted gross. But at least he finally knew. He knew what it felt like to have paradise on his tongue.

As they hauled themselves out of the surf, Lance took a second to peel off the top half of his body suit, letting the sun dance on his broadening shoulders. Keith glanced at him and did the same. Lance forced himself not to stare at the expanse of purple skin before him. Instead he turned back to the sea.

"Wanna go again?" 

"Sure. I could live to do that."

They didn't stop until lunch, though they used Kosmo to make the trek shorter. And Kosmo apparently didn't mind the jump at all, just warping himself right over the edge. And every time they jumped, there was Lance's hand, locked with his, fingers gradually becoming laced together, weaving in a latticework that Keith never wanted to pull apart. 

"Did you want to surf?" Lance asked, sliding the last of his raspberries to Keith. Keith handed him the pretzels without a second thought.

"You said the waves have to be big..." A gust of wind blew and Keith looked out to the ocean. The waves were getting big. There was a storm coming in. "Oh."

Lance chuckled and gave him a smile. Keith wondered if Lance tasted like raspberries or if the pretzels had ruined it.

"Wanna give it a try, Samurai?"

"Sure. I'd like nothing more than to dangle myself in front of a shark." But he was grinning. Lance laughed. 

"You're not gonna get eaten by a shark, Mullet. I promise. You wouldn't taste good anyway. She'd probably get terrible indigestion."

"Should I be offended?" Keith asked, sticking the last raspberry in his mouth. "I feel like I should be offended, but also, at least I'd get the last laugh."

Lance wondered if Keith tasted like the berries. There wasn't much he wouldn't give to find out. But instead of finding out, he went and retrieved the long board and two short boards from Black. He'd thought to just stick Keith with a long board, but suspected he'd get the hang of surfing very quickly.

After a careful lesson in waxing and basic mechanics, they were off. Lance found it exciting that Keith's impatience was directed at something he happened to love. The guy was eager and excited and seemingly determined to do well. If it weren't for Lance's insistence, Keith probably would've just run out into the water to figure it out.

Keith surprisingly didn't do great. The leash around his ankle was a constant presence he couldn't shake, reminding him a lot of missions he hadn't told Lance, or anyone, about. He wiped out a lot. Saw a few sharks (which didn't help), though they maintained a respectful distance. But he really did enjoy it. When he actually managed to start getting the hang of it, it was a great feeling. Thinking about it in the future, Keith would come to suspect that he was a bit distracted, because Lance surfing was a sight to see.

Lance moved with a confidence and grace that Keith had only ever witnessed a few times. He  _owned_ that board, soared with every wave, gliding over the water like he was  _born_ for it. And Lance knew it. He had that sexy, cocky grin on his face and that glint in his eyes that he only got when he knew he was on top and no one could beat him. After a couple hours, Keith gave up on surfing and just sat in the shallows and watched the show.

After a while, Lance got lonely. And worried. Had Keith not liked it?

"Hey, Samurai. You all good?"

"Yeah," Keith said with a sweet smile. "I'm good. I just like watching you, that's all."

Lance felt his face heat up at Keith's words. He only got more tickled as Keith didn't take it back, just looked away. Lance sat down in the sand next to him.

"Thank you," Keith said, looking out at the waves. "I'm really glad you convinced me to come."

"I wouldn't have pushed you if I wasn't sure, you know."

"And if you didn't need me out of the way for that silly surprise party you're planning."

"You know about that?" Lance whispered. All of his concern swelled like sea foam on the crest of a wave.

"Yeah, I know about it. I'm not thrilled, but I'll live." That was lukewarm to say the least. "It might be nice, even. To be around people happy I was born."

Lance watched his board, still tethered to his ankle, float on the edges of the waves.

"Lance?"

"Yeah, Keith?"

"Thanks."

"For?"

"Sharing this with me. I mean, this is your home, and this place is so important to you, and I'm honored that you wanted to share it with me. It means a lot."

Lance worked his toes into the soaked sand. He didn't know what was holding him back. He just knew something didn't feel quite right yet. Some little piece, some little question remained unanswered. He just wished he knew what the question  _was_.

"Keith?"

"Yeah?"

"I..."  _I want to share everything with you._ "Do you wanna build a fire? Dry out our suits while we have a chance?"

Keith sensed the hesitation. That uncertainty that remained. Keith wished he knew how to get rid of it.

"Yeah, sure. After we get the wood, I'll grab dinner while you get the fire stared. We should hurry anyway," he said, glancing up and the dark clouds overhead. "That rain's gonna come down soon."

As they sat next to each other in front of the fire, it occurred to Keith just how much this felt like a date. Lance was munching on more pretzels (he really liked pretzels, apparently) and scrolling through something on a tablet. Keith leaned over to take a look.

"So you  _can_  read sheet music!"

"Yeah, I mean I did start out with it. I honestly prefer not to. The pages get cumbersome, and I have to stop and turn them or whatever. But every now and then, I like to compose."

"You compose too?"

"Yeah. I like it a lot. Putting it down on paper, I feel like it's more permanent somehow, y'know?"

"So what are you composing?"

"Your song. I know you didn't really like it, but..." Lance sighed and coaxed the sputtering fire. It was starting to rain.

"I love my song." Lance turned to him. "I wasn't just saying that to make you feel better. I meant I actually liked it. A lot."

"Then why-"

"I kinda freaked out. Like everyone joked about how I'm just an angry, grumpy asshole and I kinda figured that's how you saw me too. But you saw beyond that. I just...I felt  _naked,_ like you exposed me in front of everyone. It's just...you scared me. You knew me so much better than I thought you did. Maybe better than anyone else ever has."

The drizzling continued, completely indifferent.

"I guess it's amazing, huh? That I'm so good at something?" Lance gave him a tiny elbow and Keith groaned, burying his face in his hands.

"I still can't believe I said that! God, I'm the worst!" Lance just laughed.

"Don't worry, Samurai," he said warmly. "I know what you meant."

"But you are! You are good at so many things! And I never realized how many!"

Lance said nothing. The rain was beginning to come down harder. The fire was starting to give out. He tossed another log on anyway, hoping to draw out this moment.

"Keith?" Keith just hummed, enjoying some sushi. "You know what you said earlier about sharing Cuba with you?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you like it?"

"I love it. It's beautiful. And it's even better because I see how it matters to you. How much you love it."

Keith gazed out at the churning waves. He could smell the coming rain mingled with the salt of the sea. It smelled like Lance. Lance smelled like a stormy beach, beautiful and destructive and and glorious to behold. Just like himself. A soldier, a warrior, but warm and vibrant and free. It was perfect.

"I'm glad." the rain began to fall in earnest and Keith packed up the empty food containers while Lance turned off the tablet, ready to give up.

"Keith?"

"Yeah?"

"Is this a good memory?"

"What?" Keith froze.

"You said you didn't have any good memories of Earth. I...I wanted you to have some. Something to take with you. Something good to think about when you roam Space and your thoughts wander to home. Is-is this...?"

Keith stared at him. He thought back to all the moments he's shared with the crew over nutella sandwiches and cinnamon rolls and breakfasts with a family that he wished he could belong to. He thought of ice skating and lakes and forests and campfires outside his little shack and fields of wild flowers and chasing Kosmo and a hand cradling his while turning in a slow, slow circle and the weight and heat of another body against his in the dark.

"Yes. You've given me some of my best memories, Lance. Not even of Earth. My best memories ever. Seriously. Thank you."

Lance gave him a sad smile.

"Happy birthday, Keith."

Keith opened his mouth to say something, but the clouds finally tore open and a torrential downpour was upon them. As they ran for Black, abandoning the containers and (thankfully covered) tablet, Keith made up his mind. He reached out and grabbed Lance's arm, digging his bare feet into the wet sand.

"What?!" Lance called over the storm.

"I want a promise!"

"What?" Lance's brows furrowed and a tiny frown slid onto his face. Keith shifted his feet. Now what? What did Keith have to say? What was it he wanted? And how did he ask for it?

"For my birthday. I want a promise." Keith's grip tightened ever so slightly, suddenly afraid Lance might slip away, just slip through his grasp. Lance raised an eyebrow. "Promise me that one day, if you ever decide you're ready, that you want to give this a shot..." Keith trailed off, uncertain. Maybe he was wrong.

"Yeeees?"

"Promise you'll let me take you to dinner? That's it. Just one date. Really. That's all I want, Lance. I just want a shot." Lance stared at him, eyes big as saucers.

"Please?" Keith whispered, voice lost in the storm. He was suddenly afraid Lance would say 'no'.

Lance said nothing. His expression shifted to something almost quizzical. He reached up and gently brushed Keith's soaked hair away from his yellowed eyes and tucked it behind his tufted ears, drinking in his face. Lance was the only one who embraced him looking like this, the only one who didn't need time to adjust. 

Lance's warm brown hand laid against his cheek, eyes never leaving his face. Keith wished he could kiss each and every one of his long brown fingers.

"I could have everything," Lance whispered. Were it not for Keith's incredible hearing, he would've missed it. "You could be _everything_."

Lance's hand slid to his jaw, his other hand finding Keith's waist. The final piece clicked into place.

"You know," Lance murmured, face going soft as he regarded Keith. "You might just be worth telling my  _Mamá_ about."

Keith's eyes widened and Lance let out a soft laugh. How could he have been so stupid? He pulled the boy closer, sucking on his bottom lip. Suddenly, perfectly, they were right up against each other, skin to skin, bodies slick with rain. He was a couple inches shorter than Keith, but Keith still let him lead, arms hanging slightly away, not sure of what he was supposed to do.

Lance removed his hands long enough to guide Keith's to the gentle curve of his hips. There. Perfect. The boy's hands were cool against his skin, his weight perfect as they drifted to rest half on and half above the waistband of his pants. The his hand found Keith's waist again, reveling in the graceful muscle and wet skin beneath his fingertips. He slid his other hand up Keith's back, up his neck, and wove his fingers into the dark locks of hair.

He gently guided Keith's head down to his, pressing their foreheads together. He met the tip of Keith's nose for a fraction of a second, almost gasping at the spark the touch created. The sheer amount of skin on skin contact was covering him in fire. He could feel it building and for once, he chose to give in. He could feel Keith's breathing, rapid and shallow against his own skin as he let their noses brush together again.

Their lips grazed each other for an instant, then drew away, uncertain, foreheads pressing together, unwilling to completely break contact. The rain was only coming down harder as Lance opened his eyes and met Keith's, dark and wide. He felt a certainty he never expected to feel. Not with a man. Not with anyone. Ever. He felt the pull of midnight eyes and hands slipping to the small of his back, trying to draw him closer, but not wanting to push too far. 

"Fuck it," Lance whispered, and he pressed his lips against Keith's.

It was warm despite the chill of rain and it was wet and it didn't work quite right at first, but then Keith decided to tilt his head and suddenly it was perfect. They fit together perfectly. Lance pulled the larger boy closer, enjoying the control Keith gave him though he could tell it wouldn't -didn't want it to- last. Finally. A hot tongue gently brushed against Lance's lips and he opened his obligingly to-

BBOOOOMMM!!!! Lightning struck the beach not far from where they were standing. Lance screamed and Keith jumped. Right. The storm. There was a storm and they were in danger.

Keith snatched Lance's hand and dragged him to Black, who fussed over them for being such reckless cubs. Keith barely cared as he gave in and pushed Lance up against the wall, exit ramp still down, sounds of the storm, of his own pulse roaring in his ears. He brushed up against Lance's lips again and they parted immediately, allowing Keith access to the other's mouth. Lance sighed against him, exploring Keith's mouth, hands searching him out. Keith could only moan as Lance's perfect hands explored his back, his shoulders, his chest, blunt fingernails tugging gently at the skin stretched over his ribs. They hooked themselves into the waistband of his spandex pants and pulled him closer, body to body once again.

Lance drew away for a breath, gasping. It was almost too much. Almost. And it was not enough. He leapt up, wrapping his legs around Keith and those glorious hands supported him by the backs of his thighs, holding him up against the wall. He bent down to kiss Keith again, cold metal at his back and a hot body pressed against him in all the best ways. His skin tingled and the fire in his gut blazed as Keith's hands squeezed his thighs.

Keith ignored Lance's lips in favor of the edge of his jaw, his neck, his collarbone. Lance gasped as he nipped at the perfect brown skin.

"Wait, wait wait!" the boy gasped. "If you wanna do that, find a bruise that's already there." 

Keith hesitated. Another flash of lightning and clap of thunder rang out.

"You don't really have any on your neck Lance," he said.

"Let me down," Lance commanded.

Keith did, but only because Lance seemed almost reluctant to do so.

"I'm covered in bruises, Keith. Look."

It was true. He was. All over. Just all below Lance's collarbones because Keith was worried about stupid things, like accidental decapitations.

"Yeah, but-" he broke off under Lance's carefully leveled gaze. "Fine. But you asked for this."

Keith's hands slid down the backs of Lance's legs again and Lance hopped up, obediently, rewarding Keith with another deep kiss for his cooperation, tangling his fingers in the dripping black hair. As Keith lowered him to the pull-out bed (literally the lions had everything), Lance sighed. He had absolutely no reservations about this at all.

Keith lay heavy between Lance's legs, which was fine -better than fine even- and selected a harsh mark a few inches above Lance's right nipple. He ran his thumb reverently over the mark, eliciting a whimper from the boy below him. He remembered the blow that had caused it. It had been right before Lance had knocked him to the floor. It had been one of the proudest moments of Keith's life.

"God, you're perfect," Keith moaned, pressing his lips to the mark. Lance shivered, goosebumps prickling beneath Keith's fingers. "You make me feel guilty about marking you up like this." 

"Bite me, you ass," Lance growled. Keith froze.

"Do you want me to?"

"Well, I wasn't actually asking but, um, yes? Yes, please?"

Keith looked up, registering that Lance's mood had shifted and the confidence had diminished. He slithered forward a bit and pressed a gentle kiss to the underside of Lance's jaw, careful not to mark him. He won't risk this. He won't push to far.

"If you decide you don't like it," he murmured, brushing his lips against Lance's skin. "Say so, okay?"

He waited for Lance to nod before pressing his lips to the bruise again, gently widening his mouth to get his teeth to Lance's skin. He kneaded the silken flesh carefully, aware of how sharp his teeth were. Lance let out a gorgeous moan, back arching beautifully as the skin broke and Keith's mouth filled with the metallic tang of blood. Taking advantage of Lance's arched back, Keith gripped him firmly at his waist, pressing his fingertips into the soft flesh. He withdrew his teeth immediately, lathing his tongue over the wound to soothe. Those glorious fingers found his hair, weaving into it as he kissed his way down Lance's body to the next bruise. He could feel every gasping breath Lance took. Lance's legs wrapped around him, and his body was on fire.

Keith's thoughts wandered to future places, fire burning low in his belly. He knew where this could go if they both wanted it to, but a growl shook Black's entire body and their minds were flooded with a warning. No sex in the black lion. Or any of the lions. Ever.

Keith let out a groan before he could stifle it and Lance laughed. He sighed, pressing his forehead to the expanse of brown skin just beneath Lance's ribcage, fingertips still exploring Lance's body. Thwarted again. And this time he'd actually meant to be suggestive. Those fingers were still in his hair. Those legs were still holding him against Lance's body.

Lance's hands coaxed his face up to look at him, and Keith obliged, flushed with embarrassment at Black pretty much calling him out (even as the others told her to take one for the Pride). Lance saw his frustrated expression and he chuckled deep in his throat, sucking on his bottom lip again. It was distressingly cute. He ran a thumb over Keith's cheekbone.

"Is it wrong that I really want to mess with you right now?"

" _Yes!_ " Keith wailed, fully aware that he was outright pouting now. "Ugh!"

"Aww...poor Keith. You've wanted to bone me for so long, too."

"Why am I putting up with this?" Keith grumbled, face burning. It wasn't like he could claim otherwise. The evidence was stacked high against his favor. He sighed and made his way back up Lance's body, willing away the ache low in his stomach. He was only somewhat comforted by the fact that Lance wanted him, too. It had been pretty clear when he'd been lying on top of him.

"Because you looooove me," the boy teased, giving a shit-eating grin.

Keith scowled at him, then kissed the tip of his nose.

"Yeah, I do." Lance's giggling stopped in it's tracks and Keith smirked.

"Wait, seriously? Really?" Was he not supposed to? Was he supposed to keep it to himself?

"Yeah, Lance. Seriously, really." Lance's face brightened in the dim light. The storm outside raged on. Keith could hear the waves crashing. Lance sighed, letting their noses brush against each other.

"Now, I thought we agreed I got to say it first,  _mi corazón_. You made me break my pinky promise. What will I do now?"

Keith's brows furrowed. He swore Lance called him that once before, when he'd been on the edge of sleep.

"'My heart'," Lance murmured. "It means 'my heart'." And Keith's face was on fire.

"You called me that before."

"Yeah. After the slow dance."

Keith snuggled closer, wrapping an arm around Lance. As much as he wanted more, this was fine too. 

"Did you mean it?"

"Of course I did," Lance murmured, running his fingers through Keith's hair again. Keith buried his head in Lance's chest. " _Te necesito. Te quiero. Te amo_ _,_ " Lance murmured, pausing after each statement to kiss the top of Keith's head. Keith closed his eyes, breathing in the scent of coming rain and an ocean breeze. _Lance._ "I need you. I want you. I love you."

Keith snuggled impossibly closer, seeking out as much contact as he could. Lance's warmth, his steady breathing, his gentle fingertip caresses. Keith willed it not to end. 

" _Te quiero_ _, mi amor_ ," Keith murmured, reveling in the hitch in Lance's breath. He smiled against the soft brown skin. Keith was really glad he'd asked Veronica for some lessons. 

Lance lay there, gently running his fingers over Keith's skin, listening to his breathing slow, feeling the pounding of his heart recede as Lance eased him into sleep. There were, he decided, just some things that couldn't be avoided. Sexuality, love, sentient lions and their not wanting to be defiled. And he didn't want to avoid it. He didn't want to try anymore, because there was no way he'd ever find this again. He wouldn't want to. He and Keith had been working up to this for years and Lance would never be able to build anything like it ever again. So as he lay there, listening to the storm just outside and breathing in the scent of cinnamon and campfires, he made his choice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So close to the end! Just one, maybe two more chapters, then an epilogue (In which Allura doesn't die, because while it was what the series needed symbolically, I just don't have the heart. It's too soon, okay?). Thank you for sticking with me thus far!  
> Find me on Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/emotionalklance-stipation


	17. Event 3: Practicing Self Control (And Failing Spectacularly)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Te quiero" can mean "I love you" and "I want you".

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: THIS CHAPTER INCLUDES SMUT  
> My first smut, so...take that as you will. That being said, I included a trio of LINE BREAKS to break the smut away from the fluff, so if that's not your thing, you don't have to look at it <3
> 
> Trigger Warnings:  
> -Morning Cuddles  
> -My Attempts at Spanish  
> -Fluffy Fights  
> -Light Groping/Palming  
> -Light Stroking  
> -Anal Fingering  
> -Anal Sex  
> -Biting  
> -Coming (not graphic, but that's kinda supposed to happen during sex, so...)  
> -More Cuddles (because I am a weak woman)
> 
> If I missed anything, I'm sorry. Let me know.  
> If you're offended, I'm not. I made it clear here that there is SMUT IN THIS CHAPTER and I told you HOW TO AVOID IT.  
> I love you all <3 <3 <3

Lance woke first, the night sky just a few shades lighter with the coming morning, rain gone, waves washing lazily against the shore. He was beginning to wonder if this could become a thing, him being the one to ease Keith into sleep and being the one to wake him in the morning. The idea made him want to become a morning person. Speaking of which, Lance discovered something very interesting. Keith "Walking Cactus" Kogane was a  _clinger_ , because  _Dios_ , he was wrapped around Lance like an octopus, all arms and legs, head still tucked beneath Lance's chin.

And it was perfect. It made Lance feel special, being able to see him this way. That Keith trusted him enough to be open about what he really wanted in life. Lance took his time getting lost in the steady rise and fall of Keith's side, the soft sighs of his breathing. He breathed in the smell of Keith's hair. He soaked up the heat of Keith's still shirtless body. He could feel Keith's lashes fluttering against his skin, see the goosebumps along his arms and back where Lance wasn't touching him.

Lance shifted as little as he could, working his legs and arms to get the blanket at the foot of the bed without waking Keith. It didn't quite work because Keith let out a muffled whine of protest at his partner's fidgeting. Lance finally got the blanket and spread it over them as best he could and nestled back down under the warm fabric. Keith sighed and snuggled in again and Lance pressed a kiss into his hair for his trouble.

"Morning," he whispered. "Happy birthday,  _mi corazón_."

"Morning," sleepy Keith responded. "What time is it?"

"Still dark," Lance murmured. "Go back to sleep."

Lance felt Keith shift against him, tension growing beneath his skin.

"The party," he mumbled, lips tickling Lance's skin.

"I know," Lance said, trying and failing to get closer. There was nowhere closer to go. Stupid corporeal form... "You know what the purpose of this is, right?"

"To make me suffer?"

"No, to celebrate you. To show you how happy we are that you're here, that you're with us."

Keith considered this for a moment then let out a huff.

"I guess that's not... _too_ bad," he admitted. "When do we have to go?"

"Well, we do have breakfast and lunch for today and the surprise party isn't until tonight, so...not for a while."

"So...can we stay like this? For a little while, at least?" 

Lance's heart melted like mercury in the sun as Keith drew away just enough to meet Lance's eyes. They were so large and dark and pleading. He stroked the boy's hair.

"As long as you like,  _mi corazón_. All day, if you want."

Lance pressed a kiss to his forehead and Keith snuggled back in with another sigh, content to let Lance rub away the tension from his body. Lance worked his fingers into Keith's silky black hair (which he had a rapidly growing obsession with) and marveled at how close he had come to passing up on this entirely. It seemed foolish now, but a month ago, he would have. Even now, there was a writhing ball of anxiety squirming somewhere between his lungs and his stomach, making it hard to breathe and making his insides twist. But everything else had been washed away with the rain. All of the discomfort, the shame, the self-loathing had just been rinsed away and carried out to sea.

In its place, Lance felt a strange clarity, like he'd achieved some kind of nirvana. It was as though in accepting himself, the universe had accepted him and he was finally at peace. The ball of worries barely registered and soon it would be gone, one way or another. For now, he rested, cradling his alien boyfriend to his chest, listening to the waves and watching the dawn slowly spread over the metal floors and walls of Black, safe in the knowledge that he could search for this with someone else for the rest of his life and never find it.

"Y'know," Keith eventually murmured, interrupting his thoughts. "You're way less of a blanket hog when we're cuddling."

"You just had to ruin the moment, huh?" They both laughed, and Lance felt a surge of warmth in his heart. 

"Yup." The bastard sounded so proud of himself.

"I can't wait to tell Shiro how cuddly you are."

"Do it. But just know I'll tell Pidge how much you liked it when I bit you."

"I'll tell her about how Black fucking blue balled you."

"I'll tell her about your alien Prince."

" _M_ _i corazón_ , she already knows you!"

Keith's face heated up and his eyes went wide, staring at the expanse of brown skin right in front of him. Lance couldn't just  _say_ things like that. Could he? Keith couldn't, even if he tried. The object of his embarrassment giggled.

"I can feel you blushing. You're adorable," Lance teased.

"Shut up. I am a horrifying monster," Keith groaned.

"Adorable." 

"I have a knife and I kill people." Keith felt a smile creeping, and scowled out of habit.

"So cute."

"Literally, I hate everything." The scowl began to slip.

"Everything?"

"Fine. Except you." Keith gave up and smiled.

"Fucking precious."

"I retract my previous statement." Keith smirked.

Lance gave an offended gasp and rolled over abruptly, taking the blanket with him. Keith let out an embarrassing squeak of protest, then shoved Lance off the bed onto the floor. Lance landed with a grunt, pouting at the ceiling for a moment. Then, with a battle cry, he pulled Keith out of the bed after him.

"Oh, you ass!" Keith gasped as the grotesque bruise on his side hit the edge of the bed. He reciprocated the attack before Lance could issue an apology.

They proceeded to wrestle, fighting back and forth across the floor, until Keith got Lance pinned. He forced Lance's hands above his head, straddling the smaller boy's waist. Then he simply sat back, weight on the boy's hips, and watched him squirm. Lance was muscular, but slim. Stretched like this, Keith could see the outlines of his ribs. He yearned to draw his fingernails over them, feel each gasping breath that Lance issued forth.

"Hmm-mmm," Lance said, settling back into the floor. "This feels familiar."

Lance looked up at him with hooded eyes and a smirk. Keith shuddered. He could already feel his blood pressure spiking. He released Lance's hands in an effort to alleviate the tension. Instead, they slid up his legs, not even stopping until they were squeezing the soft flesh of his ass. Keith hissed as the boy applied his fingernails through the thin spandex of his pants.

"Lance..." Keith issued a warning. "We are gonna get thrown out of here if you don't behave."

"Hmm...and here I thought you just wanted to stay in bed and cuddle," Lance said with a glint in his eyes. He was  _messing_ with him. "Seems to me you want a lot more than that." 

"Literally how did you even get here so fast? We kissed for the first time last night and have spent three nights toge-"

"Six nights, counting my place."

"Fine, six nights together, and you're already groping my ass-Stop!" Keith yanked Lance's wandering hands away. Lance immediately put them back. "Black will throw us out!"

"Then take us somewhere else," Lance said, not even hesitating, rolling his hips up as best he could. "You can't tell me you haven't been wanting this for ages now."

Keith bit his lip and glared down at him. He just knew this confidence (which had re-materialized sometime in the last 24 hours after taking a several-year hiatus) would dissipate when the time actually came. Keith suspected Lance's last experience had been even less pleasant (and definitely more painful) than he'd let on. He'd probably be nervous. Afraid it might hurt. Keith was not a reassuring person. He wasn't used to coddling or taking things slow. And Lance wasn't going to make taking things slow easy.

"I want it, Keith. I want you." Lance's hands caressed Keith's thighs, fingers slipping along the insides teasingly. "I trust you with me, Keith." 

Keith was impulsive, Lance was fucking gorgeous, and he'd wanted this for longer than he would ever admit to anyone, including himself, so...

"Fine. Go get the stuff from outside. Assuming it's still there. And then we're gonna eat breakfast, because you've been skipping meals and I've had it."

There were about five seconds of silence, then-

"Sure, but you're gonna have let me up to be able to do that."

"And you're gonna have to stop  _touching_ me like that!"

"You know you like it!"

"OH MY GOD!"

...

Once they reached Keith's house, things actually moved pretty fast, especially given how long it took them to actually leave (much to Black's amusement). It might have had something to do with the fact that the moment they touched down, Lance was suddenly straddling in his lap. Keith found his face cradled by long, delicate brown fingers, angling him up so their lips could meet. He found a hot, eager tongue in his mouth. He found teeth tugging gently at his lip. He might have had Lance all wrong. Especially as the boy grinded against him just long enough to get him really hot and bothered, then immediately broke all contact. Lance's lips drew away last, and Keith chased after them with a whine, soft and needy. 

Next thing Lance knew, he was up on the console, Keith between his legs, and a pair of hands down the back of his pants. He wrapped his legs around Keith and let the older boy kiss away his nervousness. Keith grinded against him again, more needy than before. Lance tried and failed to swallow a moan, working his fingers up underneath Keith's recently reacquired shirt.

"We're gonna get thrown out," Lance warned, breath already hot and heavy as his arousal built. Keith nipped at his lip, and Lance gave a shuddering gasp, blunt fingernails dragging down his abs beneath his shirt. Liquid fire ran through his body, pooling deep inside.

"Shut up."

"Literally, yeeted to Utah."

"Oh my God shut up! How can I kiss you if you won't shut up!"

" _Eres tan impaciente, mi corazón._ "

"You really can't shut up, can you?"

"Why don't you make me?"

It was so tempting.  _So. Tempting._ Keith might be able to count his sexual encounters on his fingers (okay, and toes), and he could think of several things he could do to make Lance shut up. Or make him scream. But then Lance, true to renewed form, interrupted his thoughts. He worked his fingers around Keith's neck, drawing his ear down to his lips.

" _Hazme el amor, mi corazón._ "

Keith shivered. He wasn't 100% sure what that meant, but he got the general idea and the purr in Lance's voice said enough. Keith gave a muffled groan and drew away.

"Come on," he said, pulling Lance down off the console and grabbing his bag.

"You put lube in your bag, didn't you?"

"Shut up," Keith said, face burning as he dragged a laughing Lance into his house.

* * *

* * *

* * *

 

Keith was all for heading straight for the ladder, but Lance grabbed him by the arm and pulled him in, letting Keith pin him against the wall again. Fine. He could wait. Not that he'd make it easy. Lance wasn't the only one who could test patience. Keith thrust his knee in between Lance's legs, pressing against his arousal. Lance cried out, pulling Keith closer, grinding against him. Keith obliged, moving close enough for Lance to press kisses to the column of his neck, nipping lightly at the skin. Keith sighed at the sting of his teeth against his pulse point. He slid his hands down the back of Lance's pants again, learning the soft flesh. He pressed a finger teasingly to Lance's entrance and Lance whimpered, trying to pull him closer. His hands began to wander all over, even as they rutted against each other, tongues tangled together.

Keith managed to put his remaining brain cells together long enough to ask the important question.

"Is this okay?" he asked, lips still pressed to Lance's. Lance nodded frantically, still desperately seeking any friction Keith would give him. "Promise you'll tell me if that changes?"

"Yes," Lance says with a groan. "I-I promise. Just. Please. Don't let go of me." Keith tried his best to get closer, to reassure Lance that he didn't plan on ever letting go of him.

"I won't. I won't. Not ever. Pinky promise."

There was a sense of urgency here, Keith felt, not just born of long-suppressed desire. He could feel the need to have what he could while it was here because they would be leaving any day, and who knew what would happen? Who knew how long he might have with Lance before this was all torn away from him? Or before he was torn away?

After a few minutes, Lance gently put his hands on Keith's chest, and their movements stopped, much to Keith's frustration. It didn't matter that there were other things he'd planned to do with Lance. He couldn't take this much longer.

"Wanna take this downstairs?" Lance whispered.

"Fuck yes," Keith said, pulling Lance to the rug, ignoring the other's giggling laughter.

Down the ladder, turn on the light in the playroom, drag Lance to the master bedroom, throw him on the bed. Try not to lose his patience as Lance palmed him through his pants. Simple. Done. And it was great, lying between Lance's legs, nipping at his bruised hide, until he pulled the lube (which he'd brought because he was a horny, hopeful, and maybe presumptuous asshole like that) out of his bag and Lance stiffened beneath him and he heard his heart rate spike for a second. Right. Fix Prince Asshole's damage.

"I want you to listen to me very carefully," Keith murmured, guiding Lance back to the pillows at the head of the bed. He leaned over Lance, caressing his face, running fingers through his soft, brown hair. "Are you listening?"

Lance nodded apprehensively, and Keith shoved the lube under his arm to warm it up (because nobody likes cold lube) and ran one hand along Lance's side, tracing the dips and curves of his body in what he hoped was reassurance, ignoring the aching need burning in his gut.

"This. should. not. hurt. At all. Understand?" Another nod. Keith felt Lance relax a little. "If it does hurt, or if you don't like it, tell me immediately, because it means I'm doing something wrong and I need to fix it, understand?" Nod. "Promise me, or we don't go any further."

Keith held out his pinky, and Lance smiled, hooking his slender brown pinky around Keith's long purple digit. Long brown fingers worked their way into his hair.

"Okay. I'm gonna take your pants off. Is that alright?"

Lance nodded, this time with more confidence. His eyes were still blown wide and dark with arousal and Keith really wanted to get him out of that tight spandex. It was  _not_ comfortable. He wasn't too sure about the silence either. He might've told Lance to shut up twenty times today, but now it worried him. There was silence as he worked Lance out of the skintight pants, freeing him. Keith let his eyes take in the sight before him. Lance really was gorgeous, all legs (Keith was a legs man) and slender lines and smooth edges. Not Like Keith. Keith was sharp turns and heavy lines and cold edges.

"Keith?" The voice was small, uncertain.  _Fix it._ Keith surged forward, taking Lance's face in his hands, kissing him passionately.

"You're beautiful, did you know that?"

Keith kissed him again, this time softer, gentler, letting Lance take the lead. Even as his desperation built, Lance drew it out because, here's the thing: no one had ever said that to him, except his  _mamá_. And himself. To hear it spoken so sincerely, with such conviction, by someone he loved so very much meant everything. So Lance took the moment and drew it out, opening his mouth with a sigh, fingers in Keith's hair. But after a few moments, he let Keith draw away, aware that he was legitimately tormenting the poor guy now. Not to mention himself.

" _Te quiero a ti dentro de mí._ " Lance murmured. He heard Keith's breath hitch. He could understand enough to get that, it seemed.

"Okay, but I'm gonna stretch you first so it won't hurt when I take you." Keith paused. "You remember what I said? What you promised?"

" _Si, mi corazón._ I remember."

"Good." Keith gave him another kiss, then sat back between Lance's legs again, taking the lube from under his arm. "This might feel weird, but again, it shouldn't hurt."

Keith carefully spread the lubricant over his fingers. He'd never really cared about just  _how_ good the other person felt before, so long as they came (again, because he's an asshole like that), but he really wanted to please Lance. Something about the idea of putting someone else's pleasure before his own filled him with warmth.

Keith pushed his first finger in up to the first knuckle, stroking Lance's hard length gently to help him relax. He was tense, a little nervous, but he'd said he wanted this and he trusted Lance to tell him if he changed his mind, so Keith focused on easing said tension. He worked his finger in another inch, then back out, and Lance gave a small whimper.

"You okay?" Keith asked, still working in and out, slowly going deeper. He could feel Lance beginning to relax further. God, he was so hot and tight. Keith's body screamed for want of the boy beneath him.

"Mmh," Lance sighed. "Oh, Keith. M-more. More, please." It was a strange feeling, but he liked it well enough to want more.

Keith's face flushed with satisfaction. That, he could do. He slid his finger out most of the way, adding a second. Lance moaned, squirming a little as Keith slowly worked his way deeper. It felt even better, feeling himself stretch so willingly around Keith's fingers. He felt so deliciously full, biting his lip to keep from begging for more.

Keith's eyes drank in the sight of Lance on his back, hard and leaking. He did this. Keith had this effect on him. Talk about a power trip. He wondered if he could make Lance fall apart further.

Keith began scissoring his fingers, working Lance open further. He listened to Lance's heavy breathing, his fingers clawing at the sheets, the sounds that he made, adjusting accordingly to make him feel good. He himself was more than impatient, almost in agony, but Lance didn't have to know. He'd get what he needed soon enough.

"Keith. Keith,  _please_ ," Lance begged, cracking beneath the weight of his need, and Keith's cock twitched. Were he not so impatient himself, he could listen to Lance beg for hours. Some other time, perhaps.

"Soon, Lance. Soon. Be good for me and wait, okay?" As much as Keith wanted to take him, he would be careful. But he didn't miss the way Lance's body reacted to the subtle praise. Called it.

" _S-si, mi corazón_ ," he whimpered. "I'll be good. _T-te quiero_." Oh, _God._ Okay, time to move this along, before Keith actually lost his mind.

Keith added a third finger, working Lance open as much as he could, sliding his fingers in and out. He found a small, smooth knot-

"OH!" Lance cried, back arching. "What  _was_ that?"

Was he serious? 

"Your prostate. It's what I'm supposed to look for. How do you not..." Lance looked away, embarrassed. "Nevermind."

Aliens. Though to be fair, maybe aliens didn't have prostates. Whatever. Keith sought out the spot again, aware that if he got carried away, Lance might come before Keith actually got anywhere. Lance moaned again, back arching, clawing at the sheets, babbling in Spanish. Satisfied, Keith removed his fingers. 

Lance made an offended noise, looking at him with a full-on pouty face. How dare Keith do this to him-oh, right. Keith was going to take him. Or maybe not, because Keith was giving him a thoughtful, searching look.

"Keith?" Lance whimpered. His cock was throbbing, dripping. Keith wasn't seriously going to leave him like this, right? Not now, right?

"How are you even real?" Keith asked.

Lance just stared. The boy's eyes, dark with arousal, luminescent in the dim light coming from the playroom, filled with so much emotion, so much warmth, it kind of took his breath away. His tufted ears were rotated slightly, angled toward him. His lips were parted, hungry, desperate. Keith wiped his hand on his pants and ran his fingers reverently over Lance's body, everywhere he could reach. Like he was fragile. Like he was made of glass. He pulled Lance closer, shifting slightly.

"Can I have you?" the boy whispered.

" _Si, mi corazón,_ " Lance murmured.

Keith moved away just enough to peel off his own shirt and pants, keenly aware of Lance's gaze on him. Keenly aware, and extremely nervous all of a sudden, that he was purple. That he had fangs and black nails. And yellow sclera. And he was sure his eyes were glowing in the dark. And let's not forget the tufted ears. He didn't really look human anymore. Not even close. He found himself slipping into something like self-loathing, struggling to accept himself again. It wasn't the first time he'd felt this, but suddenly he didn't feel like something anyone could love. It was a little late in the game to be worried about that (again), but still. What if it was a problem? What if Lance decided he couldn't make love with something that looked like this?

" _Dios_ , you're gorgeous," Lance murmured. "Come here.  _Ven aca. Necesito besarte._ "

Keith froze, realizing he was staring down at his hands in what probably looked like disgust. He turned to Lance, eyes wide. And then there he was, skin to skin, pressing yet another kiss to Lance's lips. Lance kissed him back as sweetly as he could for as long has he could bear, holding him as tenderly as he knew how. After a long moment, Keith drew away.

"Did you-"

"Know you needed to hear it? Yeah, I did." Lance gave him a tender smile. "And I meant it. Now, please? Please will you take me?"

"Right. Yes. Yeah. I...Shit, you're perfect. Okay." Lance gave a soft laugh and Keith felt his face burn as he placed a pillow beneath his...whatever they were. They hadn't labeled themselves yet. "Are you ready?"

"I swear if don't get inside me right now, I will do it myself."

Well, that would be fine, too. But Lance had asked him to take him, so he would. Keith carefully slicked himself up, ignoring the urge to just keep the motion going.

"This might feel uncomfortable at first, but it shouldn't hurt, okay?" he whispered, lining himself up with Lance's entrance.

Lance nodded, and Keith pressed against him as carefully as he could, working his way inside. He moved as slowly as he could, working Lance's tight heat around him. He was worried about it being too uncomfortable, especially given that there'd been a bit of time between stretching and now, but Lance just gave a beautiful moan. Hands found his waist, pulling at him, begging him, urging him to go deeper. 

Lance sighed, enjoying the stretch, the slight burn of Keith entering his body. It was different from fingers and it didn't hurt this time. He wanted more. He wanted all of it, and Keith was taking his sweet-ass time giving it to him. He appreciated the effort but  _Dios_ , he was at the end of his rope. Then Keith was finally fully seated, and stilled, which was even worse, but it gave him a chance to get used to the feeling of being full.

"God, Lance. You feel so good."

"Mmnh. You-you too. Keith," Lance breathed, cock twitching at the praise. "Keith,  _please_ ," he whispered trying his best not to whine. He failed entirely.

Lance wrapped his legs around Keith's waist, rolling his hips as much as he dared, and Keith moaned, not bothering to stifle it. He began to move, rocking above him, only removing himself a tiny bit before thrusting again, starting out slow.

"Jesus fuck. Lance, I'm trying to be-" Keith hissed as Lance rolled his hips again. "-gentle with you, but you're not making it easy."

Keith felt the tight heat around him, heard Lance's heart pounding, his breathing beginning to come ragged already. His sensations were nothing but pleasure and Lance around him and beneath him, so quickly becoming unraveled. Lance's grip on him tightened, hands travelling all over, tugging in an effort to get him closer, deeper, to feel  _more_. To feel  _everything_. 

"Didn't ask you to be gentle, just didn't want it to hurt. And it doesn't. Touch me like I'm made of glass, fuck me like you want me."

"Jesus Christ,  _Lance_." Keith's hips bucked. If there was one thing he liked, it was a bottom with bite.

Lance gave a whimper, fingers tugging from the back of Keith's neck and Keith obliged, leaning down to kiss him. Lance wasted no time in pressing his tongue to Keith's lips, begging him to open. When he finally did, Lance lapped at his mouth, tasting the oranges he'd eaten at breakfast, the coffee, the chocolate. Tasting  _Keith._  It was so much sensation, but not enough. Then-

"Oh, Keith!" Keith found his spot again, and he gasped, hips bucking. " _Más._ Keith! _Másmásmásmás_..." Lance drew his fingernails down Keith's back, leaving stinging trails along his spine.

Keith couldn't help but pick up the pace, pressing his lips to the underside of Lance's jaw, working over the spot again and again, pressure building in his gut as Lance wailed beneath him. As he cropped his teeth gently along the column of Lance's throat, he listened, felt for the responses he wanted. And he got them. Lance came undone beneath him, hands scrabbling at his sweat-slicked skin, fingernails searching desperately for a purchase, something to cling to as Keith thrust in harder, deeper. He was trying his best not to just outright fuck him, but he was losing control.

"Keith," Lance whimpered, and Keith heard the change in the boy's voice. He was close, tightening around him, his heat constricting, squeezing Keith length.

"I know," Keith managed, barely able to form words as his mind turned to useless sludge. "Me too."

He nipped Lance's earlobe and Lance's back arched beautifully, a moan escaping him, and Keith elected not to stop. Instead, he found Lance's pulse point and tried his best not to mark him up, letting the pressure build, unable to think, barely able to  _breathe_ as he neared his climax, desperately seeking release. 

Lance moaned and writhed, unable to do anything but feel, trying his best not to come, to last. He wanted to draw this out. He felt Keith's teeth against his pulse point, but no longer cared, clinging desperately to the edge. It was almost too much.

"Come for me, Lance. Come on, baby," Keith moaned, desperation in his voice, lips pressed to the flesh just beneath his ear. "Lance, _please._ " One of Keith's hands slid down to stroke him, swiping his thumb over the leaking tip, and Lance was gone.

Lance came on a wail, body convulsing beneath him, tightening around Keith with his release, and it was too much. Keith came hard on a strangled sound caught somewhere between a wail and a moan, rutting inside Lance, soaking his walls. His teeth found Lance's neck again, sinking into his flesh as his hips stuttered, then gently worked Lance through his orgasm, milking them both for all they had.

* * *

* * *

* * *

Keith let himself fall onto Lance, burying himself in Lance's neck as he came down. He listened to their ragged breathing begin to steady. The silence of the house pressed in around them in the wake of their own noises. He carefully pulled out, pressing his lips to Lance's soft skin.  _Shit._ There was a darkening bite mark beneath his ear.

"There's a mark there, isn't there?" Lance whispered.

"Yeah," Keith mumbled, mind still too hazy and fogged to say anything more.

"Fuck." Lance ran his hands over Keith's sweaty skin, brushing sticky bangs away from his face. "Oh well. Feel better?"

Keith stared at him with an expression that almost looked broken. He reached out and ran a purple thumb over Lance's cheekbone, and Lance caught the hand and pressed it to his lips.

" _Ay, mi corazón_ , don't look at me like that. I'm not going anywhere," he whispered.

Keith swallowed hard, then wrapped his arms around Lance's body, running his hands along his sides, never mind the mess between them. They could clean up later. When they were finished. Just so long as he didn't have to let go right now. He was so afraid that if he did, Lance would slip away, carrying with him everything Keith had ever wanted and everything he had always thought he would never have.

"My turn?" Lance asked, voice a hoarse whisper.

"Yeah, sure." Keith found himself comfortably situated on his back, Lance's weight a secure comfort on top of him. Keith clung to the other boy as best he could, trying to keep him from slipping away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love you all! See you soon for the end!


	18. Everything?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Keith's party and I give you pain if I want to. Just a little. It's like the whipped cream on a milkshake. Cheers!

Keith was still lying there hours later, but he didn't mind. Maybe it was the last of his post-orgasmic haze. Maybe he was just tired. Maybe he was stalling. Or maybe it was the warm body on top of him. The soft heartbeat thrumming in his ear. The arm around his waist. The miles-long legs. The glorious expanse of golden brown skin. Maybe it was just _Lance_.

Lance was still here, running fingers through his hair, over his body, and Keith loved it. He loved the occasional brush of Lance’s thumb against his side. The steady rise and fall of their chests, even and in sync. The taste of Lance still on his teeth. The soft, warm breath across his left cheek. The way Lance just _fit_ so perfectly with him, like they just locked together.

Lance began trailing his fingertips lazily across the sensitive skin of Keith's lower abdomen, teasing lightly with his fingernails. Keith placed his hand over Lance's wandering fingers to still them. He wasn't sure how long they'd been lying there, but he knew it was probably getting late. Lance gave a tiny huff of a sigh, but complied, lacing their fingers together instead. Keith kissed the top of his head, breathing in the scent of stormy beaches and sweat.

"I love you," Keith murmured into his soft brown hair. "So much."

"I love you too," Lance whispered. "So, so much. One day, you'll stop worrying so much, Mullet."

Lance pressed his smiling lips the Keith's chest, right over his heart. He breathed in the scent of cinnamon, campfires, and more sweat. He reveled in the heat radiating off of Keith's body, keeping him warm despite the cool air. The only things that bothered him were the arms still holding him close.

It didn't bother him that the arms were there. What bothered him was _why_ the arms were there. It bothered him that Keith was afraid Lance might just up and leave at any possible second. It bothered him that he was probably the only person Keith had ever loved or even remotely wanted to love that hadn't left him. There was the team, sure, but it was different somehow. The Voltron bonds maintained a certain level of permanence that couldn't be broken. What he and Keith had built and were indeed building right now was something entirely different. It was something that didn't carry the same certainty that being a part of Voltron did.

Lance didn't know yet just how to reassure Keith that he wasn't going anywhere, but he'd figure it out. He wasn't going to lose this. He was determined.

"We have to leave soon, don't we?" Keith murmured.

Keith wasn't sure why, but they seemed to feel the need to be quiet. Like they were trying to keep this a secret for as long as they could, before everyone else had something to say. For now, this was theirs and only theirs. Just two people and the love they'd built together. For once, it seemed the stillness of this little house, of the desert, was on his side, was his friend, his ally. He marveled at how Lance could turn his entire world on its head like that.

"Yeah," Lance said. Keith sighed reluctantly. "We're probably running late, to be honest."

Keith leaned over the side of the bed then, much to Lance's displeasure, and pulled out his communicator.

"It's 1750 hours. 5:50."

"Shit. We need to shower."

"I know."

"We're gonna be late. Definitely."

"Yeah."

"We have to get up."

"You first."

"No you."

"You."

"You."

"You!"

"You!"

As the two dissolved into laughter, Keith got up. He didn't want to deal with everyone making jokes for the entire night (especially given the still-deepening mark below Lance's ear) but for the first time ever, he kind of felt like he had some happiness to share. He didn't want everyone's crap but he did want to see their smiles. He knew Team Atlas would be happy for them, would celebrate their happiness as if it were their own. Because it was. And Keith was ready for that.

Keith reached out, offering Lance his hand. Lance took it with a happy smile, more than willing to let Keith pull him any way he chose.

"So I recommend against using the soap as it's been there since before we left, but we should definitely rinse ourselves off."

"Whatever you say, _mi corazon._ " Lance sang. He could hear the happiness in his own voice and, judging by the slight upturn to Keith's mouth, he heard it too. "I can't wait to see everyone. They'll be so happy for us, _mi corazón_ , I just know it."

"Yeah. And they'll have tons of fun poking fun at that bite mark on your neck."

Lance leaned in to check it out in the bathroom mirror while Keith retrieved towels. A clear ring of teethmarks in a dark purple circle. Quiznak. 

" _Ay, Dios mío!_ Keith! Have you seen this? It looks like a cannibalistic vampire tried to eat me!"

"I know. I'm so sorry."

Keith came back, setting the towels down on the back of the toilet. He wrapped his arms around Lance's middle from behind, resting his forehead on the crest of Lance's shoulder.

"Please don't be mad. I swear I didn't mean to." Lance could feel the tension in Keith's body, like he expected Lance to drop the other shoe right there and then. Not that that was upsetting or reminded Lance of the emotional abuses Keith had endured in his life.

"You’ve got a sharp set of teeth, _pendejo_." Lance sighed, leaning back into Keith. "After tonight, you can mark me up as much as you want, but don't expect me to not return the favor. And I _will_ get you back for this."

"I'm _sorry_! I-I forgot..." Keith mumbled. "I just...I got a little carried away."

Lance's heart melted at the tone of Keith's voice. He reached up and slightly back and ran his fingers through Keith's hair, doing his best to soothe him.

"It's okay, _pendejo_. It's not that big a deal."

"Can you forgive me?"

"There's nothing to forgive, _mi corazón_." Lance drew away and turned the dial on the shower, taking a light hold of Keith's hand. "But _Mamá_ might be another story," Lance said, keeping his tone light as he stepped into the shower, pulling Keith in after him.

Lance was worried about how _la familia_ would react. He was. But he didn't want Keith to know. He didn't want Keith to know Lisa already thought he was kind of an idiot and still hadn't decided if she really liked him. He didn't want Keith to know how afraid he was that he might not be allowed to see Sylvio and Nadia grow up and he'd already missed so much of their lives. He didn't want Keith to know he was afraid he might never have another hoverbike race with his brothers. And he definitely didn't want Keith to know he was afraid that tonight might be the last time he ever got a hug from his _mamá_.

But Keith seemed to know anyway.

"Hey. If this is too much...If _I'm_ too much..."

"Don't even, Samurai. You're not too much anything. Except maybe too cute." Keith gave a half-hearted laugh. Lance began running his fingers through his lover's hair, working the sand out. Keith switched them so he could do the same for Lance. "Don't you worry, _mi corazón_. You've got me as long as you want me. _Te prometo,_ _mi corazón._ 'I promise you, my heart.'"

Lance stepped up, drawing Keith into his arms, both relieved and worried when Keith responded, slow and cautious but with tender affection. Like he still wasn't sure things were actually okay. They stood like that for a little while, swaying gently under the hot water, running hands over wet skin, enjoying the safety they would soon be forsaking. He tilted his head up, guiding Keith down, sealing his promise with a kiss. They were already late, he knew. They'd been expected at 1800 hours, but they had been gross and Lance wanted to draw this out as long as he could. But it was time to leave, so he reached out and turned the water off.

Keith groaned.

"Do we have to?"

"Yes," Lance said, giving him a light kiss.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." Another kiss.

"Right now?"

"No, like fifteen minutes ago. Or twelve doboshes." Another kiss, this one deeper, lingering. "One party, and then we never have to do it again, okay?"

"i'm holding you to that, love."

Lance wrapped a towel around Keith, ignoring the way Keith's cheeks pinked at his own courage. Lance didn't bother to suppress his own small smile, taking a towel carefully to Keith's hair, then his own.

"Ah, quiznak. My fresh clothes are in Black." Black and Red expressed their amusement. Blue was affectionately exasperated.

"Guess you're walking up in your towel," Keith said with a smirk, pulling fresh clothes out of his duffel, shoving in their sandy spandex. Then he gave a dejected puppy look when he realized Lance didn't have a free hand. Lance smiled and wrapped the towel around his waist, lacing his fingers loosely with Keith's. He swore there was a tiny bounce in Keith's step all the way to Black.

Two minutes later and dressed a fresh set of clothes, Lance was pulling Keith by the hand, intending to take him to the music room only for-

CRRAAACCK!!! Lance screamed and they both instinctively drew their weapons as the air erupted with squeals and cracks and flashing lights.

Keith  grabbed Lance and pulled the boy behind him, immediately in battle mode. Keith's first thought was to protect Lance, followed by regrets that he didn't have a shield. His final thought was pride and joy as Lance stepped out, standing right beside him. Then, he caught one of the lights, watching it rise high into the sky, exploding into a large, red starburst. Oh.

As the fireworks finally faded away into the night, Keith realized the crowd of people standing there. Team Voltron (Including Romelle, Krolia, and Kolivan) and Team MFE (including Iverson) were standing in the yard. With them, Keith recognized the McClains, Holts, and Garretts. Wait. All of these people were here for him? All of them? Really?

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!" the crowd chorused.

Lance turned to him and grinned, eyes huge and blue and shining and just so _perfect_. The Cuban boy threw his head back and laughed a full-bodied laugh that brought a belated grin to Keith's face as he turned back to everyone, downgrading his sword to a knife and putting it away. Lance chuckled and deactivated his bayard, running a sheepish hand through his hair. Then-

"RIZAVI! I TOLD YOU NO FIREWORKS!" The admonition was lessened somewhat by the ever-present grin.

"Yeah," Griffin said with a smirk. "Because we were doing it indoors. So we moved it outside. We have a ton more for later, when it really gets dark."

Lance ran a hand over his face.

"You're lucky we didn't attack you."

"but you didn't!" Allura called.

Lance turned to Keith and shrugged, then grabbed him by the wrist (not the hand) and tugged on him gently. Keith let Lance have his way, following him into the throng of people, all smiling at him. Krolia stepped forward.

"Happy birthday, Keith," Krolia said.

"Thanks, Mom," Keith choked.

Krolia drew him into a hug, the third she'd ever given him, and between Lance and this, Keith had never felt so loved in his entire life. Next came his team, waiting impatiently for their turn. Then Pidge launched herself at him, managing to snag him around the neck. Allura came next, wrapping her arms around him from the side. Then Hunk stepped up, wrapping the three up in his gigantic arms.

After they released him, it was Shiro's turn. Shiro looked at him and raised a tiny eyebrow. A question. Keith took a deep breath, letting it out in a tiny gasp through his mouth, unable to hide the slowly growing smile he'd only be able to suppress for so long. Sooner or later it would become a grin. Shiro however, didn't try to suppress anything, immediately breaking into a proud grin and extending his arms. An answer. Keith threw his arms around his brother without fear or hesitation. Shiro wrapped him up in a big hug, whispering in his ear.

"Nice catch, little brother. You picked a good one."

"Thanks. I know," Keith whispered back, a gasp of a laugh escaping him before how could swallow it.

"Put that boy down," said a familiar, accented voice. "It's my turn."

Shiro released Keith immediately, and Keith turned to Camila McClain, the woman who had gradually become one of his favorite people in any reality. Keith had never noticed before, but Lance's expressions were almost nothing like his mother's. For the most part, Camila was calm and subdued, with an air of benevolent authority. Lance was exciting and wild and fun, with minimal to no air of authority whatsoever. But, for all that, they had the same exact smile, warm and tender and fond in all the ways people yearned for most in life.

Camila drew him in, close and gentle and warm. It wasn't the same has his mom. It wasn't quite as maternal. But the warmth, the affection was still there.

"You put stars in my son's eyes, _Mijo_. Thank you for that," Camilla whispered. Her voice was filled with emotion that Keith couldn't name, but understood nonetheless.

"Thank you for letting me," Keith whispered back, trying not to choke up at Camila's endearment.

Camila released him with a tender smile. Keith assumed the hugs were over when-

"Our turn!" a child squealed.

"Gah!" Two small missiles impacted with Keith's body, knocking him back into the desert earth. Keith looked down at Sylvio and Nadia.

"Hey, guys," Keith said with another smile. "How ya been? Haven't seen you in a while."

"Doing great!" Nadia said. " _Abuela_ made flan! Want some?"

"Uuh.." Keith hesitated. "Shouldn't we eat dinner first?"

"No?" Sylvio said. "It's your birthday and your a grown-up, so you can do whatever you want. Duh." Sylvio and Nadia rolled their eyes like it was obvious.

"Well we didn't eat lunch," Lance interjected. "So maybe if there's some real food...?"

"Yeah, come on," Keith said, throwing an arm over Lance's shoulder (not his waist). "Let's get you some food. And maybe actually eat it, okay?"

"Okay, I promise. Come on, everybody! Let's eat some food!"

The entire crowd cheered, running for the food tables. Keith and Lance laughed, Keith taking advantage of the distraction the press the quickest of kisses to Lance's cheek.  Keith chuckled.

"Come on, love," he whispered, the endearment sounding strange and unfamiliar. But Lance hardly cared. "Let's get you something to eat. You haven't been eating enough."

"Do you trust me?" Lance whispered.

"Always," Keith murmured without hesitation.

"Then just follow my lead, okay?"

Keith gave him a nod and grabbed a plate from Hunk, accepting his knowing smile. Lance held out a hand for a plate, but Hunk shook his head.

"Nope. I'm making you a plate, and you're gonna eat all of it. I'm tired of my thrice-daily Keith interrogations to find out whether or not you've eaten. And I'm tired of the answer being 'no' two out of three times."

Lance shrank under Hunk's level stare. Everybody was watching.

"Sorry," he whispered, accepting the offered plate of food.

"It's okay, buddy," hunk said, smiling now. "Let's just try to take better care of you, okay?"

Lance nodded and headed to the row of tables, Keith on one side and Hunk on the other. Reaching the table, he took his place next to Keith. On his left sat his mother.

"A toast," Shiro said, standing. "To Keith, the best friend, teammate, leader, and brother I could ever ask for. Happy birthday, buddy."

Everybody raised their various cups or, in certain cases, flasks.

"He forgot 'boyfriend'," Lance whispered in Keith's tufted ear. Keith grinned, digging into his _ropa vieja._

"Oh, Lance," Allura said. "What do you think of my new sweater?"

"You mean _my_ sweater?" Lance hummed in consideration. "Stand." Allura stood. "Turn." Allura turned.

"Eh. It looked better on me."

"Oh come on! Pink isn't even your color!" Allura gave him a playful glare, and Lance just  _knew_ he'd gained another sister.

"Wait," Lisa said. "Lance, you said that's your sweater?"

"Yeah, isn't it cute? And it's not itchy, even if it is sparkly. But I suppose, if you like it that much, I could give it to you, Allura."

"Really?!" Allura's entire face shone.

"Yeah, Princess," Lance said with a fond smile. "You can have it." He chuckled. "Guess you finally got that something sparkly outta me, huh?"

Allura squealed with delight, wrapping her arms around herself. Keith watched Lance's smile widen in the face of their friend's happiness. Damn he'd gotten lucky. Lance opened his mouth too keep talking, and Keith gave him a gentle nudge.

"Three bites and then keep talking, okay-" Keith stopped himself before he could continue with the endearment. "Come on, Sharpshooter."

Lance nodded, shoving a bite of beans and rice in his mouth. He gave a small moan and ate another. While the crowd began to break off into their own conversations, Keith monitored Lance's state. He seemed oddly okay, talking and laughing animatedly. As he launched into a retelling of their adventures at a space mall, Keith elbowed him again, reminding him to eat.

The rest of dinner passed in much the same manner, Lance talking, everyone laughing and having a good time, Keith eating and making sure his boyfriend-his _boyfriend._  Lance had called him his boyfriend. Which meant Lance was his boyfriend. Keith had a boyfriend. He almost couldn't believe it.

Nadia took her plate and marched over to Keith, nudging him with her foot. Keith picked her up and put her on his lap, and they shared their food. Keith ate her carrots, she ate his celery sticks (snuck onto his plate by Shiro), and everything else they shared. Except Camila's garlic knots. Those, they did not share. They each had their own and the other was not allowed to touch them. It was a law. He didn't miss the tentative smile the interactions garnered from Lisa.

Somewhere between dinner and desert, while everyone was still talking, laughing, and drinking (meaning everyone but Sylvio and Nadia), Keith let his left hand fall from the table, and Lance his right. In between the first and second shot of tequila, their hands found each other. In between the second and third, their hands were on the table. Nobody noticed for a while, thanks to all the clutter. Except Camila.

"So, _Mijo,_ " Camila finally whispered to her son somewhere between the third and fourth round. "Is there anything you'd like to tell me?"

Lance's grip on Keith's hand only tightened. He slid his glance to his boyfriend-his _boyfriend!_ \- then turned sheepishly to his mother, who arched an eyebrow. The kind of eyebrow that promised you wouldn't get away with a lie.

"I'm bi?" he whispered. "And I love him?"

Camila eyed him for a minute, then gave a quick nod.

"About time you got there, _Mijo_. Also, that's a very nice bite mark you're sporting." Keith choked on his water. Lance ran his thumb over the boy's hand distractedly.

"You're-you're not-"

"Not what? Angry? Disappointed? Going to reject you?" Lance swallowed hard. "No, _Mijo._  I've known you weren't straight for years." Lance's jaw dropped. "I just wanted you to get there on your own. Ask Keith."

Lance turned to his boyfriend-his _boyfriend!_ -, aghast.

"Yeah, she told me she knew when she came by after the LTATV thing," he murmured.

"Then why-" How could Keith let him go through this?

"We had faith that a man who could fight in an intergalactic war would have the courage to come out on his own." Lance's heart stopped at the crooked smile and loving eyes before him. "We were right. And I'm proud of you, Lance."

Lance frowned. It wasn't like he'd even done anything, really. Veronica had figured him out, then let slip in front of the crew, and now he was just quietly holding Keith's hand on top of a table. So what was there to be proud of?

"Be proud of yourself, Lance," Keith whispered. Lance registered that his _mamá_ was listening. "Some people go their entire lives denying who they are. And a month ago, you intended to do the same thing." Keith gave Lance's hand a squeeze. Out of the corner of his eye, Lance noticed a few people had begun glancing at them. "And now look. I think it's safe to say you've grown a lot, love."

Next to Keith, Rachel smirked around another shot of tequila. The McClains went _hard_. Camila pressed a kiss to Lance's hair, and Lance sighed in relief. Keith felt a weight rise from his shoulders, even though it hadn't ever needed to be there in the first place. He didn't know what he would've done if she'd rejected Lance. He didn't think he'd be able to bear it. Across the table, Lance's _Abuela_ cleared her throat. The family, apparently well-trained, immediately stopped talking. As the elderly woman stood, the rest of the tables fell silent as well.

" _Tengo una pregunta para Keith,_ " the woman said, her voice elderly and frail, yet suddenly intimidating.

" _¿Qué es?"_  Keith replied without hesitation.

" _Es una prueba. Para ver si eres digno de mi nieto."_

Keith's brow furrowed. He hadn't quite caught all of that. He wasn't the only one. Next to him, Lance took in a shaking breath and translated.

"'I have a question for Keith. It is a test. To see if he is worthy of my grandson.'"

Noise immediately erupted from the crowd. A lot of “WHAT?”s and “HOLY SHITS” and other exclamations at different volumes. In Keith’s lap, Nadia whispered, “Oooh, you’re in trooouuuuble.” And yeah, that sounded about right.

“McClain! Kogane!” Iverson shouted. “Don’t you dare! You do this, I owe eighty bucks to Shiro.”

“Sorry Iverson. You fell victim to one of the classic blunders. Never get involved in a land war in Asia, never go in against a Sicilian when death is on the line, and never bet against the bisexual Latino!”

“WHAT?” Marco shouted.

“Why you cheeky little-” Keith elected to interrupt Iverson’s comment.

“Guys!” Keith yelled. “Señora McClain is trying to ask me something!” Keith waited until everyone was silent, then turned back to Lance’s _Abuela_ . “ _¿Cuál es su pregunta, Señora McClain?_ ”

The old woman gave him a pleased eyebrow and in that moment, Keith, insides squirming with nerves, forgave Veronica for her loud mouth. Thank _God_ she’d agreed to teach him Spanish, or this might not go half so well.

“ _¿Cuántas veces ha salvado mi nieto su vida?_ ” Keith nodded, considering her question, barely even hearing Lance translate for those listening.

“How many times has my grandson saved your life?”

It seemed simple enough. From the outside. A quick look around the table showed Team Voltron counting, either on their fingers or in their heads. Shiro had even abandoned the offensively large stack of money in front of him in favor is his fingers, face deep in concentration. Krolia took the stack from him, giving Keith a wink. Krolia being the winner made it a little better.

A test. This was supposedly a test. Right. So any answer could be right. Potentially. But only one really seemed right.

Keith turned to Lance, gazing into his empyrean blue eyes. They had flecks of gold, he realized, around the pupils and bits of purple at the edges. Eyes no one could believe unless they saw for themselves. He thought of Lance almost dying to save Coran, a man he'd barely known. He thought of when Lance had emerged from a coma and shot Sendak. He thought of all the times they’d worked together despite any differences they might have. He thought of leaving the math to Pidge. He thought of pinky fingers. He thought of Lance always on his side, trying his best to help him make good decisions. He thought of late night calls across six and a half galaxies in between missions at the end of a shit day. He thought of all those times Lance had been right there when he'd needed him, sometimes just by being in the same room, on the same ship, the same planet, in the same reality.

Keith thought of training and stealing LTATVs and stargazing and fireside confessions. He thought of flan and frustrated words and late night conversations and mountains of candy in the McClain living room. He thought of stealing lions and flying to Switzerland and ice skating at midnight and drinking hot chocolate on a mountaintop watching the sunrise. He thought of accidentally jumping Lance in bed followed immediately by breakfast with a large portion of his family. He thought of racing speeders through canyons and swimming in a desert lake. He thought of chasing Kosmo and slow dancing alone in his bedroom, being held like he was made of glass. He thought of cinnamon rolls and annoying his brother and piano solos and panicking when he realized just how much Lance understood him. He thought of the elation he felt when he realized Lance not only understood him, but loved him anyway. He thought of fields of wildflowers and promises made by a golden lake. He thought of cliff jumping and surfing and talks on the beach in a sacred place where the biggest promises were made. He thought of kissing in the rain.

Keith saw a pair of unimaginable blue eyes. A cocky smirk. A tender smile. The beginnings of crows feet at the corners of Lance’s eyes. He saw long fingers caressing the keys of a piano. Felt them against his face. In his hair. Squeezing, clawing at his flesh. Brushing tenderly against his skin as if Keith were the most beautiful instrument he could ever think to touch. He saw Lance gazing up at him with such love as Keith rocked above him. He felt the warm weight of Lance’s body against his. On his chest. In his arms.

Had it always been this way? Had Lance always been such a deeply ingrained presence in his life? In a way, it felt like nothing at all had changed and he’d been in Keith’s life like this forever. In another, it felt like he’d shown up at this very second like some kind of god and Keith was wonderstruck. He couldn’t imagine a single day-

The question. Right. He had a question to answer. And it might sound false. It might sound like some crap a second-grader would come up with, but sitting there, gazing at Lance, Keith knew.

He reached up and laid his hand on Lance’s cheek, his gaze never wavering. Lance leaned into the touch like it was nothing. Like he'd never not done that.

“ _Todos los días. Lance salva mi vida todos los días,_ ” he murmured. He turned to Señora McClain. “ _Y esa es la verdad._ Every day. Lance saves my life every day.”

Lance felt his heart stop. Keith had stared at him for what could have been six seconds, a minute, or possibly a lifetime, and Lance had almost begun to think he wouldn’t answer.

That Keith could say something so corny and sappy was amazing enough in its own, but to say it with such conviction. He turned to _abuela_ , and Keith’s hand fell away. Lance tightened his grip on Keith’s hand on the table, the skin over his knuckles stretched white.

 _Abuela_ regarded the two of them for a moment, dark eyes flickering from him to Keith and back and forth and back again. He couldn’t move. He couldn’t breathe.

Then, she nodded.

“Fine.” The old woman smiled. “If anyone have problem, they speak to me.” _Abuela_ looked proud of herself, of her English. Lance was proud too.

Lance exhaled, finally releasing the breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. In the distance, he could see Marco and Lisa regarding him with something like caution, but it hardly mattered just then. Veronica was whooping, everyone else was talking animatedly, congratulating him and Keith. Lance would have time (hopefully) to prove to his oldest sibling and his sister-in-law that he was still a decent human being. It helped that Nadia was already so attached to Keith-

“WAIT!” the little girl screamed. Every quieted down enough to hear.

“What’s up, Nadia?” Keith asked, looking at the girl now standing on his leg. His eyes were so large with curiosity, it made Lance’s heart melt.

“You can’t have kids! No kids!”

“Um…” Lance snorted at Keith’s clear uncertainty as to how to react. Behind him, his _mamá_ shook with laughter. Lisa chided her daughter. “Why is that, exactly?”

“Because Seth at school says they’re immune to ‘your mom’ jokes and that it’s not right.”

Keith stared at the girl, ignored the people around him starting to fall apart from laughter, trying not to laugh himself. He really liked this kid. She was super cool. And frankly, hilarious.

“There _is_ a tradeoff,” Keith said finally. Nadia raised her eyebrows, folded her arms and waited. “Double dad jokes. Think about it. You say you’re hungry, and you have _two_ people to say, ‘Hi hungry, I’m dad.’”

“Oh quiznak no, you win!” the girl said, sitting down in his lap with a bounce.

And the table just lost it. Shiro and Matt fell out of their chairs, Iverson almost, his wife keeping him steady. Everyone else was laughing. Keith, unable to help himself, gave Nadia a hug. Next to him, Rachel had her head on the table. Down and across the tables, Lisa and Marco were laughing in spite of themselves.

After a few minutes in which Nadia kept asking what was so funny, everyone slowly broke back into group conversation. Rachel and Keith began shooting spoonfuls of rice in Griffin’s direction. He and Razavi (an unfortunate civilian casualty) began retaliating with beans. Lance managed to catch one in his mouth, resulting in a chorus of “OOOOHhhhhhh!!!!”s. After that, people from all around the table began trying fire beans, grapes, and even mini carrots (it was a very diverse spread) into Lance’s mouth.

“I’m so sorry, _mi corazón._  I am not on my best behavior.” Keith threw his head back and laughed.

“Honestly? You’ve had four shots of tequila and you’re still able to catch food with your mouth. I’m proud. And I’m very glad to see you’re eating, love.”

“Wait!” Pidge said. “ _Love_ _?_ Is Keith using pet names?”

“Fuck,” Keith said under his breath, only to be immediately called out by the nine-year-olds in his lap (Sylvio had joined his sister a few minutes ago). “Sorry! Heck.”

“All your street cred gone and for what?!” Pidge cried.

Keith opened his mouth to say “ass” then remembered he was apparently some kind of kid magnet.

“For Lance. Duh. Where have you been this entire time, midget?”

“Ay, _pen_ -uh Samurai-” snickers from the crowd. “-That’s offensive.”

Lance leaned over in his chair, leaning against Keith’s side. Keith automatically put an arm around him, overjoyed at the amount of smiling Lance had done that night.

“Yeah, you’re right. I’m sorry midgets.”

“Okay, boys,” Camila said. “I think you’ve both had enough to drink.”

“Yeah,” Kinkade interjects. “Lance gets super cuddly when he’s drunk. It’s beautiful to watch.”

“Ah,” Camila said. “So Iverson is doling out alcohol to the cadets now is he?”

“No!” Iverson roared. “Your son brought two bottles of his ex-girlfriends tequila on a camping trip!”

“Ah, Juanita,” Luis said, speaking for the first time that night. “I remember Lance used to keep a pair of binoculars on his windowsill so he could-”

“YES THANK YOU, LUIS!!!” Lance all but screamed. Keith roared with laughter. The table fell apart again.

After a while, and cake, and flan, everyone figured things were almost done. Just fireworks left, Rizavi said. Until Shiro and Veronica disappeared and returned wheeling the grand piano outside. Lance almost groaned, frustrated that he seemed to be the focus of tonight more than Keith, until he turned to his boyfriend and saw his face light up like a billion stars. Quiznak. He was a weak man.

“Lance-” Keith whispered.

“Yeah, _mi corazón._  I’ll play for you.” Keith grinned, and Lance couldn’t resist a chaste kiss. Right there in front of his family, team, and crew. Fortunately, everyone cooed and awwed rather than groaned or fell into awkward silence. Then Lance grabbed his hand, stumbling a little as he got to his feet, tugging Keith after him.

“You sure you’re in condition to play?” Shiro asked with a laugh.

“Shiro you would not believe under what conditions I have played.”

“Do I want to know?”

“No you do not.”

“Understood.” And Shiro stepped back. Everyone gathered around as Lance sat, pulling Keith down next to him. And Keith had never been so happy.

“ _Mi corazón_ , you have to let go of my arm so I can play.”

Keith blushed, reluctantly releasing him. Lance reached out with a smile and put Keith's hand on his waist. Keith scooched in closer, ignoring another round of awwws. Lance lifted his hands to keys and began to play, starting out with a few seconds of buildup, a sudden halt, then an upbeat tune.

_“This one goes out to my closest friends_

_The ones who make me feel less alien_

_I do not think I would be here if not for them_

_See all the nights in shitty bars_

_And throwing up in taxi cars_

_Or on our backs under the stars_

_As we sang_

_As we sing"_

It was bright and happy and maybe just a tiny bit cynical, but it sounded like companionship and the adventures of youth. It sounded like them, Keith thought. Of him and Lance and their team and now their extended crew.

_"What’s another night on Mars?_

_With friends like ours_

_Anywhere is home_

_What’s another night on Mars?_

_With friends like ours_

_Anywhere is home"_

" _This one goes out to my closest friends_

_The ones who make me feel less alien_

_I do not think I would be here if not for them_

_See all the nights in shitty bars_

_And throwing up in taxi cars_

_Or on our backs under the stars_

_As we sang_

_As we sing"_

As the chorus started up again, everyone joined in, picking up on the easy lyrics. Keith looked around with a grin. Arms slung around shoulders. Arms around waists. Hands intertwined. Everyone swaying from the music and the drink. The kids on Kosmo’s back, singing horribly at the top of their lungs. Then the music slowed.

_"The earthlings crawl from bar to bar_

_Ignoring shooting stars_

_And grinding all their gears_

_The atmosphere here on Mars_

_Oh Lord it’s quite bizarre_

_And will remain this way for years_

_And years and years and years"_

And everyone was happy and together and it was great because all of these people were here. For him. All of these people cared for him. And Keith hadn’t realized until this exact moment just how much that meant to him.

_"Yep._

_What’s another night on Mars?_

_With friends like ours_

_Anywhere is home_

_What’s another night on Mars?_

_With friends like ours_

_Anywhere is home_

_What’s another night on Mars?_

_With friends like ours_

_Anywhere is home_

_What’s another night on Mars?_

_With friends like ours_

_Anywhere is home"_

Keith wasn’t sure how many times they repeated the chorus, but it was a lot and it strangely didn’t get old. It almost felt like Lance was drawing out this moment as long as he could, just holding them all together until the pressure became too great and he had to break them all apart again. And he did, but for that few minutes, it was perfect. And Keith loved it.

_"This one goes out to my closest friends_

_The ones who make me feel less alien_

_I do not think I would be here if not for them_

_See all the nights in shitty bars_

_And throwing up in taxi cars_

_or on our backs under the stars_

_As we sang_

_As we sing."_

Everyone applauded, cheering. Lance leaned over, pressing a kiss to his cheek, and whispered in his ear, ignoring when Pidge pressed her finger to the bite mark below his ear and everyone began joking about it. Keith considered Lance’s question, then nodded. Lance smiled.

“I won’t tell them what it is, so don’t worry,” he murmured.

“I’m not worried.”

And he wasn’t. When Lance began to play his song, Keith was warm. Maybe it was the drink. Maybe it was the good food. Maybe it was the number of hugs he’d received or how embracing everyone was or his mom running her fingers through his hair in another ever-more-frequent open display of affection. Or maybe it was the fact that Lance worked with him, arranging Keith’s body so that he wasn’t in the way, but they were still linked together somehow.

Either way, Keith wasn’t afraid of anything in this moment, except one thing.

As the fireworks went off, Rizavi (and, they suspected, the entire decor team plus Holts) having carefully constructed an entire show (seriously, where did they even get all of that?!), Keith missed most of it looking at Lance, trying to memorize the way the colored sparks flashed across his gorgeous skin. Trying to soak up as much as he could while he could.

An hour after the fireworks, the party was broken down, cleaned up, and goodbyes were said. Keith got hugs from everyone, except Marco and Lisa. their smiles were strained as they said goodbye. Keith gave Lance a squeeze as they pulled his _sobrinos_ away after a somewhat hurried goodbye. He did notice Camila and _Abuela_ ’s narrowed eyes at their subtly fleeing backs. Hopefully those two would set them straight. Hopefully.

As _Mamá_ and _Abuela_ left in a flurry of hugs for both of them, Lance turned to him with a smile only slightly tinted with sadness. He couldn’t help it. He utterly adored his _sobrinos_ , was scared he’d never see them again. Or at least until they could decide on their own. If they decided.

“Lance?” Keith whispered. Lance heard several people stop. Lance swallowed hard.

“It-it’s fine. I’m fine. We-we’ll be fine. They’ll come around.” Lance bit his lip. He didn’t sound convincing.

Keith released Lance’s hand, holding his arms out ever so slightly, not wanting to force Lance into something he might have decided he didn’t want. And Lance fell into them, trying not to cry. Trying to hide his tears. He felt Keith’s arm around him, hand between his shoulder blades, other hand gentle in his hair, holding him there, anchoring him.

“Hey, Keith?” Keith turned his head.

Veronica. The woman swallowed hard. Keith knew what she’d done so long ago yesterday. And he knew she was sorry, so he didn’t glare. Especially not with the look on her face right now. She looked like she might cry too. She gave a quick jerk of her head toward the door.

“We’ve got this. I’m sure you two are tired.” He gave a grateful nod, releasing Lance’s head, sliding his hand up to his far shoulder, guiding him inside.

“Can I stay with you tonight?” Lance asked. He didn’t want to be alone.

“Of course you can.” Lance registered the tone in Keith’s voice. That choked tone he had sometimes when he was trying not to panic. But blended with that forced indifference he used when he was about to self-destruct.

They stopped by Lance’s room in silence for clothes and his soap. They showered together (this time with soap) in silence. They got into bed in silence. And Lance waited. And the floodgates opened.

Not his floodgates. He was resolute in his decision. He would always love Marco, Lisa, and his _sobrinos._  No matter whether they came around or not. Always. But he wasn’t going to let go of Keith and he wasn’t going to hide from this part of himself. Never again.

No, the floodgates that opened we Keith’s. It took a few minutes of them lying in the dark, face to face, eyes closed, not touching, but he finally broke. Keith Kogane, a man whom Lance had never seen betray more than baseline level sadness except once for Shiro, buried his head in Lance’s chest, and cried. Sobbed, really.

“I’m sorry, Lance,” he gasped. “I’m so sorry! I never should have let you do that!”

Lance sighed and worked his fingers into Keith’s silky black hair.

“Hush, _mi corazón._  You’ve done nothing wrong. And you didn’t push me to anything. Just the opposite, remember? You were content to let me choose on my own, remember?”

Keith snuggled in deeper, tightening his arms around Lance, bodying still shaking.

“But Marco and Lisa-”

“ _Mi corazón, please!_ I knew not everyone would be happy for us-”

“Well they should be! You deserve it! You’re Lance McClain and you come from this insanely huge family and you’re all supposed to love each other until your dying breath and I can’t even comprehend that type of love! What if-what if it’s _me_?” Lance’s heart froze in place. He heard the soft hiss of the door and saw Shiro frowning in the doorway, grey eyes filled with troubles. “Lance, I look like a monster! I’m a freak. Maybe if I looked human-”

“It’s not you, Keith,” Lance said, as calmly but firmly as he could. “I promise it’s not you. Marco and Lisa will either come around or they won’t and it has nothing to do with your heritage.”

Lance buried his face in Keith’s hair. Where had this come from? Had it just been boiling under the surface the whole time and only just brought topside earlier today? Lance suspected otherwise. He had a sneaking suspicion that this was only a vehicle for Keith’s truest fear: rejection. And loneliness.

“Listen to me, Mullet. Are you listening?” Keith nodded, and Lance felt the skeleton of a smile against his chest at his very first endearment. “You are so special, Keith. There are millions of people just like you out there, and yet you’re still the first of your kind. And considering how many Galra are out there, finding new planets to build a peaceful home on, you are still just the beginning. You’re proof of just how close we can get even if we’re light years apart. Hybrid children are our future, Keith. And you? You’re my future.”

Lance glanced up to the doorway to see that Veronica was standing there too, recording on her phone. She mouthed the word “blackmail”. Brat. Shiro looked slightly less concerned. Meanwhile, Keith fell apart all over again, sobbing softly against his chest. Lance held him close. How did he convey what he meant? Music. _“Music is something I actually know I like.”_ Hadn’t Keith said something similar awhile back? “ _Psst. Play ‘Piano Man’.”_

Lance sighed, toying lightly with Keith’s hair.

“ _Don’t go changing to try to please me_

_You never let me down before_

_Don’t imagine you’re too familiar_

_And I don’t see you anymore”_

He glared up at Shiro and his sister only to see their gradually softening expressions. Hmm...he wondered if he could make Shiro cry too.

_“I would not leave you in times of trouble_

_We never could have come this far”_

Keith gave a watery laugh and Lance smiled. That was damn true. Keith began to settle, and Lance felt a surge of relief. It was working. And Shiro was crying.

_“I took the good times; I’ll take the bad times_

_I’ll take you just the way you are_

_“Don’t go trying some new fashion_

_Don’t change the color of your hair_

_You’ll always have my unspoken passion_

_Although I might not see to care_

_I don’t want clever conversation_

_I never want to work that hard_

_I just want someone that I can talk to_

_I want you just the way you are_

_“I need to know that you will always be_

_The same old someone that I knew_

_What will it take ‘til you believe in me_

_The way that I believe in you?”_

Lance reached the final chorus, and let his voice get softer, sweeter. He wasn’t great at singing Billy, but fortunately, if he got lazy with the bridge, this one wasn’t too tricky. And it was perfect.

_“I said I love you and that’s forever_

_This I promise from the heart_

_I could not love you any better_

_I love you just the way you are.”_

Keith said nothing, but he figured he wasn’t expected to. Lance had remembered how much he liked Billy Joel, and he knew just which song to pick. And it was perfect. The perfect song to burn dinner to. He heaved a sigh. He felt so tired all of a sudden. And so very loved.

“ _Te necesito. Te quiero. Te amo_ , _mi amor_ ,” he whispered.

“ _Te necesito. Te quiero. Te amo, mi corazón_ ,” came the soft reply.

Today had not been perfect. It hadn’t been without pain. Really, no day was. But they had spent the day surrounded by friends and family and people who loved and cared about both of them, and all in all, Keith felt hopeful for the future.

And if he missed Lance glaring at their siblings, a silent warning not to disturb him as he fell asleep listening to Lance's steadying heartbeat, then all the better.

 

*One Week Later*

 

Camila pulled Lance into a final hug.

“I’m going to miss you, _Mijo_.”

“I’m going to miss you too, _Mamá_ ,” Lance whispered, burying his head in her shoulder. “We’ll come back, _Mamá_. I promise we’ll come back.”

“I know you will.” Camila drew back, looking at her son and the boy hovering right next to him. “You two take good care of each other. And your team, okay? Lance, take good care of Keith. Keith, look after my baby, won’t you?”

“Of course, Camila. I will. I promise.” Keith cracked a roguish grin. "After all, someone has to take care of him. He's too busy taking care of everone else."

The three of them looked up at the Atlas in all her glory. Their home for the foreseeable future.

“Klance! Sorry! Keith! Lance!” Shiro called, running up to them. “It’s time to take your places. Curtis ran past them, lugging a pair of toolboxes, swearing under his breath.

Lance’s heart fell. Keith held his hand, giving it a squeeze, and he nodded. Together, the three of them waved a final goodbye to Camila and trudged off to the Atlas. Lance knew Keith didn't miss it when he looked back over his shoulder to check one last time. Not everyone had come to say goodbye.

…

“Are we all ready?” Pidge asked, bouncing up and down in her uniform.

“I’m ready!” Hunk said. “Let’s finish this once and for all, so we can start rebuilding.”

“I am most definitely looking forward to that part,” Allura said.

“Oh my goodness, yes!” Romelle was practically skipping at the thought.

“I hope to help find a good place for the Alteans to rebuild, myself,” Coran said, twisting his mustache. There was a chorus of agreement.

Keith and Lance sat quiet, fingers laced together. They had so much to lose, now more than ever, but so much to gain as well. And not just for them, but for everyone. Keith leaned into Lance, and Lance released his hand so he could hold him closer. Everyone smiled at the sight. The young men didn't know it, but they were a source of hope for the crew. A promise that no matter how bleak things got, there was always a light in the dark.

“Okay, Team!” Shiro called. “Everyone to their places. It’s almost time for liftoff.”

This was Everything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that's pretty much it! All that's left is the finale!


	19. Everything.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The future is bright.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last update! I hope you all enjoyed my work.  
> If any of you have suggestions or requests for new works, hit me up here or on Tumblr! (link below)
> 
> Mind-Blowing Realization: Everything that happened in Season 8 is because Sam didn't fix his fucking socks. Oops.

*Six Months Later*

 

Keith looked around at the main members of the Atlas crew. They were all sitting in the situation room, on chairs or couches or robots or each other’s laps. Lance sat on the table next to his chair.

“Well,” Shiro said. “That’s that. War over. Now what?”

“Allura, Coran, Romelle, Tavo, and all the other Alteans are going home,” Keith declared, not leaving room for argument. He smiled at the Alteans and they smiled back.

“Thank you, Keith. We’ll prepare to depart soon, once all arrangements have been made,” Allura said. Keith would miss Allura. He’d miss her and Lance cutting up during meetings, doing their best to break his composure. He’d miss Coran looking after all of them, spreading blankets on them when they fell asleep in odd places, making sure everyone was healthy, that everyone was included. That everyone felt loved. Keith found himself tearing up a tiny bit. A brown-skinned hand found his and gave it a squeeze.

“Hunk,” he continued. “I want you to lead intergalactic diplomacy.”

“What? Me?”

“Yes. You’re the voice of reason, common sense-”

“Literally our impulse control,” Lance interjected. Keith managed a wobbly smile. Composure. Composure.

“Exactly. I have absolute faith that you’ll be able to add stability and bring people together all over the universe, just as you have with us.”

Hunk started crying, touched, and Keith felt a surge of warmth for his friend. He was going to miss the guy. Hunk’s heart was just so big, so overflowing with compassion and understanding. He’d miss Hunk helping him look after Lance when the Latino got particularly anxious. Hunk nodded, resolute.

“I’ll do it.”

“Pidge,” Keith said. “I want you here, on the Atlas. We need you to work on teludav technology. Specifically, I want you to find a way to make it work without an Altean at the helm.”

“A teleporter. You want me to invent a teleporter,” Pidge deadpanned.

“Yes,” Keith confirmed.

“Oh hell yes. I will get you a teleporter,” Pidge grinned. She looked excited. Keith would miss Pidge too. She was the little sister he’d never had, the best friend he’d never expected. His partner in crime more times than anyone would ever know. Except Lance.

“And me?” Shiro asked.

“You’re the Atlas’s pilot until we find someone to replace you.”

“Replace him?” Veronica asked. Shiro looked as stoic and loyal as ever.

“I know you’re tired, Shiro,” Keith continued. “And I swear I will find someone worthy to pilot the Atlas, but for now, with your experience both as a pilot and with the universe in general, and handling that weirdo crackhead down in Weapons Tech, I have to ask you to stay.”

“I’m here,” Shiro confirmed. “As long as you need me, I’m here.” 

Keith nodded, swallowing hard. He was going to miss his brother more than anyone else and he knew it. It hurt already and they hadn’t even parted ways yet. He’d miss that voice in his ear constantly believing in him, the support, the motivation Shiro always carried with him.

“What about you two?” Pidge asked quietly. “Where are you going?”

Lance put his free hand on top of their interlocked fingers.

“We’re sticking together,” Lance declared. “We’re going to redesign the Blade of Marmora infrastructure to be a humanitarian organization. Then we’ll be travelling the universe offering relief aide and services. Hopefully, we’ll be able to help rebuild the universe.”

“So you guys are essentially moving in together?” Allura said, hopping up and down in her seat. 

“I…” Keith hesitated. “I think so? I’m not sure if it counts…”

“Pretty much,” Lance confirmed, grinning. “I don’t think we have much to worry about. This relationship is hella battle tested. Plus we pretty much room together anyway.”

It would be different though, Keith thought. Different because now there wouldn't be a room for him to go to if they fought. They'd have to actually fix it.

"Trust me, we've noticed," Pidge teased.

Everyone chuckled. Keith looked around at all the people gathered there. He was really going to miss them. He and the team had plans to meet every year on Altea in remembrance, but still. He was really going to miss some of these people. All of them really. These people were his family. And, as Lance still firmly believed, familia was Everything.

They left Earth three months later. Not everyone came to say hello. Or goodbye.

 

*Six Months Later*

 

They had their first major fight on Daibazaal.

Keith had always figured it would be easier fighting with Lance. And it was, though not in the way he expected. It wasn’t easier in the idea that it wasn’t as brutal or as painful or anything. It was moreso. What was easier was hurting the other.

It had started when he’d begun regressing back into his old habits of not talking about his problems. As in, he’d been reluctant to force more of his problems onto Lance’s “Fix-it” list. Finally, he'd snapped at him and told him to learn how to mind his own damn business for once in his life. Lance had retaliated by saying Keith was being cold and inconsiderate. Typical Keith, refusing to communicate. Why was Lance even here if Keith didn't want him around anymore?

It had devolved from there, ending with Keith informing Lance that he was only good at shooting and piloting a Voltron Lion and he rarely did either of those things anymore and the only reason he was even with the Blades at all was because Keith had wanted him there and maybe he wasn’t so sure anymore. Lance had fired back by saying Keith was a cold-hearted asshole with an anger problem who was incapable of real love and maybe he didn’t want to be there anymore either.

And then Lance had stormed out into the forest of stone spires at the edge of the settlement they were staying in and Keith hadn’t gone after him. He’d stayed perfectly still and vacant of expression and let him go.

 

Lance stormed off, ignoring the tears streaming down his face. He hated crying when he was mad. It made him feel weak. Vulnerable. “ _You’re still the same cold-hearted asshole you were when we met! I don’t even think you’re capable of actually loving me!”_ He sat down on a rock and buried his face in his hands. How could he have said that? Well, he knew how. He knew Keith. He knew that it would cut him to his very core and he’d said it with that intention in mind. And then he’d walked out. And Keith had let him.

Keith had  _never_ been a cold-hearted asshole. He'd been a suspicious, broken kid with so many hurts that even now, he'd bring up some foster incident or Blade mission accident  or another that Lance hadn't known about and he'd have to rework his understanding of Keith's many wounds and scars all over again.

Lance sighed. He’d been worried. And maybe he’d been pushy. But it had been a while since Keith had shut him out. Not since they’d started dating. But it hardly mattered now, when he’d cut Keith so deeply. He had to go back, he had to fix it.

And really, this wasn't entirely their fault. They were both nursing injuries. Both were exhausted, overstretched, and isolated from their family. Reconstruction efforts were going frustratingly slow. There were days when they talked seriously not seriously about just running away to some lush little planet with Kosmo and hiding there for the rest of their lives. They weren't handling this well. Keith was just handling it all slightly worse than Lance was, and Lance clearly wasn't handling it so great himself.

He looked around at the collection of spires. He’d been walking for a while, he realized. The settlement was nowhere to be seen and he had no idea what direction to go in. He’d been spinning in circles and drunk on frustration and hurt and exhaustion and who knew which direction to go?

Lance took a deep breath, testing the broken ribs from his last fight with Galra rebels. Painful af. Perfect. Well, here’s hoping he’d survive a climb up one of these spires so he could find his way home.

 

Keith regretted punching the wall of their quarters. A lot. He swore gratuitously as he cradled his broken, bleeding hand to his chest, tears of pain mingling with tears of frustration and hurt, though whose hurt he wasn’t quite sure. He’d needed to hit something, and maybe the metal wall of the ship that functioned as their house and workspace wasn’t the best idea, but at least the pain gave him some measure of focus. Because he was still messed up enough that pain yielded him more focus than patience did. Jesus, he really,  _really_ needed Lance back.

Lance. He needed to go to Lance. He had to go after him. That’s what he was supposed to do, right? You have to trust your partner. You have to be honest. And when they storm off after a huge fight, you go after them. He thought. His guidelines were ones he’d made up himself without any references of what a good relationship was supposed to look like.

“Kosmo, come.” The wolf trotted up, whimpering in distress, licking his injured hand. “Let’s go find Lance.”

Keith wove his undamaged fingers into Kosmo’s fur and leapt onto his back. The wolf took off immediately, and not for the first time was Keith glad Lance and Kosmo were so close.

 

Lance tried not to sob as he pulled himself further up the spire. This had been a terrible idea. He was too far up to be able to drop safely, his arms were trembling, and his ribs hurt so bad he wanted to faint.

That was when Kosmo warped into the air right next to him, grabbed him by the hood of his Blade suit, and warped back to the ground, straight in Keith’s arms.

“I’m sorry,” the larger man whispered, holding him close. “I’m so sorry. I love you. I’m sorry. Please don’t leave. Please, please don't leave." 

Lance sighed, maybe a touch disturbed by the shattered terror in Keith's voice that said his lover actually thought he might really leave. Like Lance said, reworking hurts. Well, what else was there to do but hold his frustrating, damaged, emotionally constipated boyfriend closer?

“I’m not going anywhere. Not ever.” He pulled back, holding Keith out at arms' length, not letting go.

Lance inspected him, eyes immediately drawn to his injured hand.

“ _Mi corazón,_ look what you’ve done to yourself!”

“It’s alright,” Keith mumbled. "It’ll be healed in a week. Fast healer, remember? Are you okay?”

Lance’s hand immediately went to his cracked ribs, but he nodded. He was better now.

“Keith, you know I only want to help you, right?” Keith nodded. “I can only do that if you tell me what’s wrong. You and I are very different, _mi corazón_ , and I don’t always know what to do.”

Keith took a deep breath, staring at the ground. He knew Lance was right. He knew they were different. And they loved each other, but sometimes their different wiring got in the way.

“I’m just really missing everyone. I only came here as an excuse to see Mom and I miss my brother so much and-and Pidge and Hunk and Allura and Coran and your family and-”

Lance drew Keith back in as the man choked on a sob. Poor guy. Lance had learned a lot of new things about Galra recently. Galra, in actuality, formed very close-knit social units. They tended to struggle with relocating and joining new groups. That's why Zarkon had often used relocation as a punishment. He hadn’t thought that would apply to Keith, but apparently it did. A lot.

“Hey,” he whispered, brushing saltwater from Keith's lashes. “Maybe we should take a break, huh? Micromanage from a distance, take some time to visit everyone, hmm? I think it would do you some good. We’ll go to Altea early for the annual regrouping.”

Keith nodded quietly. He knew it probably wasn’t a smart decision for him to make as a leader, and he hated the fact that something could affect him like this. It made him weak. But Lance had seen his at his weakest. He was safe here in Lance's arms.

“Keith?” Keith hummed in response, face re-buried in Lance’s neck. “Were you like this when you left us for the Blades?” Keith forced himself to nod. “How did you handle it? I need to know how to help you.”

“I...didn’t handle it. I just took out my unhappiness on my enemies.”

Lance sighed, drawing away, wrapping his arm around Keith’s waist, carefully arranging his lover’s injured hand against his chest.

“Lead the way, Kosmo.” The wolf began heading off and they followed. “Okay, so let’s not do that. Let’s...what do you want to do?”

“Can we just sleep? Please? Just for a little while?”

“You mean can we cuddle until an unreasonably late hour?” Lance grinned. “Of course we can, _mi corazón._  Maybe we could have a dance first, hmm? I'll play our song.”

"Can we start dinner first?" Keith whispered, tentative to ask for anything after what had just gone down.

"You read my mind, Mullet," Lance murmured, pulling Keith closer, pressing a kiss into his hair.

"Why do you still call me that?" Was Lance secretly still mad?

"Because, Mullet. You're being silly. I call you 'Mullet' when you're being silly. Not telling me when you're hurting...Well, okay, that's more than just silly, but I guess it reminds me of how far we've come. It used to be an insult. Now, it's an endearment. For when I'm affectionately exasperated with you."

"And Samurai?" Keith whispered, wishing they were back in their quarters.

"That's for when you're being cool and badass," Lance said with a grin.

"And... _mi corazón_?" Lance gave him a squeeze as they follow Kosmo back to the settlement.

"That one's for all the time. I just don't want to forget the others. Each one is important. It's a part of who you are to me, and who we are together." Keith's brow furrows.

"I only have one name for you. And it's not even a good one."

"I like it," Lance declared. He loved it. "I think it shows how far you've come. I mean, would you have ever thought of pet names seven years ago?"

"No," Keith mumbled. He studied the ground beneath him. Lance smiled. His boyfriend had really come a long way. He'd always been a good fighter, a good pilot, a good person. But now he knew how to express himself. All the soft feelings he'd always had, all the warmth and affection he'd always wanted. He knew how to feel it, how to find it, how to seek it out. But sometimes he needed a little help.

"Hey," Lance said, elbowing his lover. Keith's eyes remained firmly fixed on the ground. "I love you, Mullet. Even if you're frustrating me to tears." Keith finally managed a smile, relief flooding his eyes. Lance sighed. Keith finally believed he would stay.

"I love you too." Keith chuckled. "Even when you go rock-climbing with broken ribs."

"Oh?" Lance raised an eyebrow. "And what about your hand, you big dummy? I'm gonna have to do all the work in bed until it heals!" Keith's cheeks darkened enough that Lance could tell even in the moonlight. Or maybe he just knew they did.

"Sorry for the inconvenience," Keith grumbled. Then he gives a sly smile. "But we both know you like topping."

"You like it too. If I didn't know better, I'd think you preferred it." Keith stumbled, body tensing next to him.

"Is that okay?" The lavender hand at Lance's waist tightened with some anxiety that Lance couldn't begin to understand. Perhaps it was a fear of being seen as weak. Keith's mind was still quite warped.

"Of course it's okay. Top, bottom, one then the other. I don't care. Whatever you want from me, mi querido. Ay, that reminds me. Your brother is an absolute moron."

"Curtis from weapons development?" Not that Keith had spent many,  _many_ hours listening to Shiro talk about the latest developments in weapons technology or anything...which wasn't at all because he'd been spending an embarrassing amount of time trying to nut up and ask the weapon junkie out.

"Curtis. That  _needs_ to happen and Shiro has no balls. Also, the guy is an absolute delight. A fucking treasure to this reality and I want to keep him forever."

"What do you propose we do?"

"Get him the manchild's number. Then, when Shiro can't summon the courage to message him, we steal his communicator and do it for him." Lance smiled, pressing a kiss to Keith's cheek. "He helped me find happiness, even if we have some unhappy moments. I want to do the same for him. God knows he deserves it either way."

Keith smiled and drew Lance closer to his side until their feet got tangled and they were laughing, tripping over each other. He didn't miss the way Lance winced, touching his ribs when he laughed. He'd have to patch the man up when they got home. The war might be over, but they were still constantly at some level of barely functional. Sometimes, like tonight, they were outright _dys_ functional. But as they followed Kosmo through the stone spires, a sky full of still-unfamiliar stars sparkling overhead, laughing and messing around, he knew this would be forever.

And it struck him all at once that he wanted more out of this. He wanted Everything.

 

*Three Months Later*

They were engaged on Altea. Keith and Lance never told anyone the details, but unlike everyone's belief from thereon out, it wasn't right after sex. It was while Lance started lipsyncing "Talk Too Much" by COIN into his toothbrush wearing nothing but his boxer-briefs and socks. The sex happened after.

Shiro was standing at the foot of the memorial on Altea, looking up at the gigantic statues of the five original paladins. He stared at Zarkon, and felt a sense of satisfaction. He’d been a good man, Shiro thought. Devoted, in his own way, to the greater good. But even the best men could fall. Behind the monument, the five Lions sat at attention. The sound of laughter reached his ears and he turned to see his team, the only family he had, walking up the stone steps.

Everyone was gathered around Lance and Keith, running around the two in circles, talking animatedly. The young men were smiling even brighter than usual, Keith’s arms wrapped around one of Lance’s. Everyone thought it was adorable that Keith, though bigger and tougher than Lance, was so snuggly with the smaller man. And Lance clearly loved it.

“Hey, Shiro,” Keith said, smiling.

Shiro extended his arms, and Keith flew into them. Lance had told him about Keith’s struggles now that they’d officially disbanded, and made sure to put all of his love into the embrace. He just wished he could have done it sooner. After a little while, they separated, and Lance’s hand was immediately in Keith’s again.

“Say, Shiro,” Lance said. “Who's that guy you're always talking about? Y’know, brown skin, brown hair, blue eyes? Really cute ass, too.”

“I assume you don’t mean yourself,” Shiro deadpanned, noticing the avid attention of his fellow teammates.

“No,” Keith said. “The guy from weapons development. Lance and I saw him just the other day. Total shitlord? Definitely a top?”

“I don’t know about all of that, but there’s a man in weapons development on the Atlas matching the physical description. His name is Curtis. Why? Do you need a new rifle, Lance?”

“No...but _you_ need his number.” No way. They didn’t- Keith held up a slip of paper wedged between his first and second finger.

“How?” Shiro asked, flabbergasted.

“We went back right before we left for here,” Lance explained. “It kinda went like, ‘Hey so Shiro was in here a week ago and didn’t have the balls to ask for your number-” Cruel. But completely true. “-can we have it so we can give it to him?’ and the poor guy tripped over six boxes of tools and knocked a Class 2 laser rifle off his work table so he could write his number on the back of this take-out receipt. It was awesome.”

Shiro couldn’t believe it. He reached for the number, only for Keith to snatch it away with a smirk.

“Keith, please. My future is literally in your hands.”

“Not so fast, drama queen,” Keith laughed, fangs on full display. “I need a favor in return.”

Shiro sighed, turning to the others. Half of them were bouncing on their toes, the other half recording his undignified behavior for future viewing. He narrowed his eyes.

“Fine. What do you need?”

“Be my best man?”

The young men held up their left hands, displaying a matching set of thin silver bands.

“OH MY GOD!!!” Shiro threw his arms around them both. They just laughed, patting him on the back.

Tomorrow, he’d hopefully spend his day messaging Curtis. Today, though? Today he’d spend reminiscing with his family, celebrating his brother’s engagement.

That night, as they watched the Lions soar off to save some other reality, the last threads of their bonds finally snapping, Shiro refused to believe that this was the end. This was the beginning of Everything.

 

*One Year Later*

 

They were married on Earth at sunrise, in a certain spot on a certain beach in Cuba.

Camila gave Lance away. With Ian's loss, it had fallen to her to do the job for her daughters, and Lance and Keith had offered to let her do so for him as well. She'd accepted in a flurry of tears. And so it was that Camila walked her youngest child down the aisle. When he got to Keith, Lance tucked a bright red hibiscus into the pocket of his tux. He sported a matching one himself. Coran officiated. Behind Keith stood Shiro and Pidge. Behind Lance stood Hunk and Allura. 

In front of Keith stood Lance, resplendent in white, sun casting him in molten gold, wind toying with his hair, sparks of fire in his ocean-blue eyes. He smiled at Keith with all the love in the world. He was the most beautiful thing Keith had ever seen.

In front of Lance stood Keith, looking gorgeous in a white tux. His dark hair blew in the wind. Beneath his bangs, his midnight eyes smoldered and sparkled and burned with joy and fierceness in equal measure. His violet skin glittered in the golden sun and his smile was soft and tender.

“Today,” Coran began. “We are gathered to celebrate the union of two gentlemen and their houses. These men have endured loneliness, rejection, unimaginable hardships and loss, not to mention war, to stand before us today not undamaged, but yet unbroken. Do you both consent to proceed with the bond of matrimony, aware that this is a bond for eternity?”

“We do,” the men whispered. Hunk choked back a sob. Lance was sure all of their closest friends were crying. And probably half the crowd in attendance.

“Good!” Keith choked on a laugh and Lance bit his lip. “Should anyone object to this union, keep it to yourself!” Lance fell apart, falling into a laughing Keith. “Alright boys, some measure of decorum if you please.”

“S-sorry,” Keith gasped, grinning. Lance laughed, waving for him to continue.

“You boys, as I understand, have written your own vows, meaning you’re about to make some stuff up and hope it’s good, so let’s hear it!” Keith fell apart this time, resting the top of his head against Lance’s chest.

“Come on _mi corazón_ , I have to say some stuff.” Lance ran his fingers through Keith’s hair and it took all of Keith’s strength to recompose himself and move away.

“Right. Okay.” Lance took a deep, composing breath. He was nervous, but not in a bad way. Not uncertain, or unsure, or self-conscious. Nervous because he was looking at his entire future standing before him and it was just too perfect.

“ _Te necesito. Te quiero. Te amo._ I need you. I want you. I love you.”

 _“Te necesito_ , Mullet. I need you. I need you to get me out of bed before 1000 hours because I am not a morning person. I need you when I psych myself out and turn into a nervous mess and need someone there to remind me that I’m valuable, that I’m useful. I need you to remind me to take three bites during meals because otherwise I’ll just talk the entire time. And sometimes I need you to remind me that I should be proud of who I am, even if others are not. I need you because you make me feel like Everything.”

“ _Te quiero,_  Samurai. This one is special. In this incantation, in this chant, it means ‘I want you,’ but it can mean ‘I love you,’ too but in a more casual way. The everyday kind of love you barely notice unless you really think about it. I want you next to me on the couch when I’m reading. I want you within eyesight at all times so I can know you’re safe. I want you to be the person I train with. I want you to be the person I sit next to at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I want you to be the one I argue with about whether Avatar is actually a good movie. I just want you to be there, because you are Everything.”

“ _Te amo,_ _mi corazón._ I love you, my heart. And I do. I love your hands, your lips, your eyes, your smile. I love the way you look at me and my body burns. I love the way you make me feel like a million stars. I love the way you always want to hold my hand, how you have to tear yourself away when it’s time to part. I love the way our bodies connect perfectly and it feels like nothing else ever has. I love the way we just seem to fall together at the end of a long day and it feels like coming home. I love you, always, because you. Are. Everything.”

Lance gazed into Keith’s yellowed midnight eyes, and saw the burning flames at their core, that fierceness that never died, that even time could not ravage. He slid the gold ring on Keith’s finger, snuggled right up against the silver. He smiled. It was Keith’s turn.

Keith glanced to his mother and step-father, sitting in the front row next to Camila, his baby sister Yora on her lap. Krolia smiled at him fondly and Kolivan gave an approving nod as he handed his daughter the end of his braid. A family. His future. 

His future.

Keith turned back to Lance and took a deep breath, doing his best not to panic. He really wasn’t good at this sort of thing. But he’d gotten better in recent years and he’d thought about this moment for a long time, so here went nothing. He took Lance’s slender brown hands in his own, cradling them in his palms.

“You are the pinky finger,” Keith declared. “You’re my pinky finger. I rely on you to support me, to hold me up. And…You’re what I trust the most when I trust nothing. And I trust nothing more often that I should. But you? You’re a promise. You’re the promise that tomorrow will be new, tomorrow will be better. That I can be better. That this is real, and everything that I have is still going to be there when I wake. You’re the promise that I’m not alone, that I’m never alone. The promise that I can love and be loved. The promise of my entire life.”

“I think back a lot to the promise we made by that golden lake. You promised that when you were ready, you’d say ‘I love you’ first, but it ended up being me anyway. But still, you promised. You promised you loved me and some day you’d have enough faith to tell me so. And I don’t know, maybe kissing me on this exact spot counted, but it doesn’t matter because that promise, our first promise, is the promise I think about today.”

Keith dropped Lance’s right hand, and switched so that Lance’s left hand was resting in his, sliding a gold ring onto his slender brown finger.

“It’s a promise for the future. Your future. My future. Our future. And standing here now, all I can think to do is make another promise. Are you ready?”

Lance nodded, starting to tear up. Keith smiled, misty himself, and hooked their fingers together.

“I, Keith Kogane, promise you, Lance McClain, that you will be mine until the end of all things. I promise you that I am yours until the end of all things. I promise that this will not end as long as time exists. I promise that, no matter how hard this might get, I will never, ever give up on us. Because you are Everything, Lance McClain, and this is a promise for life.”

Keith held up their interlocked pinkies, showcasing their oath. Lance used his free hand to wipe away first his own tears, then Keith’s. Then he turned to Coran, standing just behind them, tears welling in his old, wise eyes.

“Can I kiss him now?” the Cuban man whispered. “Please?”

“I pronounce you husband and husband. There, now you may kiss him.”

Lance pulled Keith in and Keith sighed into the kiss, relieved to close the distance. He’d waited all day, all year, his entire life for this. And do you know what? It was worth it. It was Everything.

There was an absence that stung at the corners of their eyes, but for their own sakes, they didn’t dwell on it.

...

...

It took time for Keith to unlearn to expect Lance to leave him. Even after the wedding, there had still been a small part of him that feared someday coming home to an empty house. But eventually, he remembered how to have faith in the love people had for him. Keith would always remember waking up one morning, gazing into his husband's face, and realizing that he truly believed Lance would be there again tomorrow, and the day after, and the day after.

He'd never know when that switch was made. When he'd learned to believe, unlearned how to doubt. Sometimes, he thought it was that moment of realization. Sometimes, when they'd gotten their tattoos. Sometimes, their second anniversary, where instead of spending the day doing 'married people things' and making love, they'd sat around on the couch and made fun of shitty movies while eating all of their favorite candy and popcorn like a couple of teenagers.

Sometimes, he thought it might have been the day they'd found Johnathan and Elinor abandoned in a cave, the week they'd spent fighting to keep them alive. The year they'd spent fighting to give them a life worth living. The life Keith always wished he'd had.

Yes, it might've been that day. The day he and Lance decided to share their forever.

 

*Six Years Later*

 

Lance woke first, to the sound of his alarm, turning it off with a scowl. He paused for a moment, listening. He only heard the hum of their ship, but he knew it wouldn't last long. Then he turned back to his husband, smiling. Keith was snuggled against his chest like always, arms all wrapped around each other, legs tangled together. Lance heaved a contented sigh, pressing a kiss into the dark, lustrous, waist-length hair. The dark purple hue had taken over the black in the last couple years, but they had stopped noticing their physical differences years ago. It helped that Lance now looked like the odd one out.

Lance began gently stroking the silky hair, loving the way it felt between his fingers. His other hand moved slowly up and down Keith’s bare back. After a few minutes, he felt Keith’s lashes flutter against his skin, his lips curl up into a smile against his bare chest. 

“Morning, love,” the half-Galra whispered.

“Morning, _mi corazón._  Did you sleep well?” Keith simply hummed in response, snuggling closer. Some things just didn’t change, and one of those things was that Keith, his bigger, taller, very grumpy husband was an extremely cuddly being. And Lance wouldn’t have it any other way.

Keith was perfectly content, resting in Lance’s arms. Perfectly content in their shared warmth. Perfectly content in the knowledge that this was to be his forever. Perfectly content to stay there forever. Until the patter of little feet reached his tufted ears.

“ _Papi,_  Daddy. Are you awake?” a small voice whispered, tapping on his hand.

“ _Papi_ , Daddy. Can we join you?” another voice added.

Lance sighed, rolling onto his back, giving Keith a view of their children as he rested his head on Lance’s chest. They were beautiful. Perfect. Johnathan, age six, was half-Galra, half-Olkari, with an affinity for botany. Elinor, age four, was full-blooded Galra with a fondness for flowers (Johnathan gave her as many as he could make or build) and a fascination with knives. Keith smiled.

“Get up here. Ellie, no knives in bed, okay?”

The kids grinned and crawled on up, making sure the men got either an elbow or a knee in the stomach.

“Kid sandwich!” Lance exclaimed, and the children immediately snuggled in between their fathers in a flurry of giggles.

Keith met Lance’s eyes over the heads of their young children and saw his own happiness reflected there. This was good. Wholesome. Peaceful.

The tablet on the nightstand buzzed.

“Morning group chat,” Lance said, reaching behind him for the tablet. Turning it on, he saw their teammates waving. Ellie and Johnnie waved, squealing little greetings for their extended families.

“Morning!” Pidge called. She was in her kitchen feeding Geoffrey. “Aww, you guys are so cute!” Kiff leaned into the frame grinning. The Olkari was usually smiling, except when his tech misbehaved.

“OMG you _are_ cute!” Hunk gushed, cooking the usual morning omelettes for himself, Shay, and their daughter Rosetta.

“Are we ever gonna do this at a reasonable hour?” Curtis groaned, running a hand through his disheveled hair. Next to him, Shiro was smiling, happier than Keith had ever seen him, the brand new gold bands of their fingers glinting even in the dim light.

“Morning everyone,” Allura murmured, rubbing sleep from her eyes. Next to her, Tavo groaned dramatically, trying to smother himself with his pillow. “Where’s Coran?”

“So sorry!” the Altean said, finally popping up. “I was out for my morning run!”

“Only you would be out running at 0700 Earth vargas on the seventh Earth quintant,” Tavo growled. Curtis gave his assent.

“Even Shiro’s not that devoted,” he said.

"Oh, really? Guess what we're doing tomorrow, babe." Curtis' only reaction was utter disgust. "Also, please get your Sunjet off the floor before one of us dies."

"It lives there now. Step around it." Shiro rolled his eyes with a grin.

“Kiff and I got back from our morning run an hour ago,” Pidge said, spooning more baby food into Geoffrey’s mouth.

“Okay, Pidge. But you two don’t sleep,” Hunk argued.

“Papi and Daddy just woke up! Papi isn’t a morning person!” Elinor said. Everyone laughed, though no one louder that Keith and Lance.

“No, and he never has been,” Shiro said. “Neither has Auntie Allura.”

“Guilty,” Allura chuckled.

“That’s why I married her,” Tavo mumbled, voice muffled by the pillow. "And now this. I was lied to." Everyone chuckled. Allura rubbed Tavo's back sympathetically.

Like every morning, they all held each other accountable to get up and moving in the morning. And that’s exactly what everyone did, carrying their tablets around while they all got ready for their day, talking their work, their families, their kids, whatever.

Pidge and Kiff had almost perfected terraforming technology. Hunk and Shay were preparing for the anniversary of the end of the war, planning the cuisine for their rapidly growing number of mouths to feed. Allura was finally over her morning sickness but had elected, with no small amount of pleading from Tavo, to take it easy anyway. Coran was taking up a bit more of her workload. Romelle was still travelling. She hadn't yet found a place she could call home, Lotor's treatment having done too much damage for her to be able return to Altea. She'd lost her love for home. Shiro and Curtis were beginning the adoption process to start a family of their own. Keith and Lance were getting Yora from Krolivan. They'd have her for a week while the two went on a much needed break.

“What about you, Lance?” Pidge asked as Lance set a platter of chocolate chip pancakes and a bowl of fruit in front of his family. He passed Keith the chocolate syrup, placing a kiss on top of his head before taking a seat to cut up Ellie’s pancakes. Keith tackled Johnnie’s. “Anything new?”

"Yeah, look!" Keith said suddenly. "A gray hair!" Keith tugged affectionately on his husband's hair, earning a playful smack upside the head.

“It's an experience highlight, you jerk! And yes, actually,” Lance said, the crows' feet at the corners of his eyes crinkling with a smile. “Marco got in touch with me last night. He wants to see me.”

“What? No way!” Hunk said. “What about? Here, Rosie. Eat your omelette.” Hunk spooned some vegetable-laced egg into his unsuspecting daughter’s mouth.

“Said he wanted to catch up,” Lance said, passing Ellie her pancakes. “Here Ellie. Be careful with the syrup. Not too much, okay?”

“Okay, Papi!” the little girl sang, wielding her fork in her tail.

“And use your hands, please.” Keith just laughed, earning another slap from his husband. Everyone else laughed. Lance shook his head, clearly amazed by the bad influence his husband could be. It really shouldn't have been amazing, given the weekly chocolate breakfast parties they were having.

“You think he wants to make amends?” Shiro asked, downing a smoothie. Curtis was chugging coffee, having pulled another all-nighter playing Xbox. Lance shrugged. “Do you want to make amends?”

Lance stared at his left hand, at the trio of rings on his finger. At the red and blue rings tattooed around his pinky. Keith had a matching set. Silver for their engagement, gold for their wedding, platinum for their first anniversary. The red and blue tattoos to remind them of all their promises, implicit and explicit.

“He’s my brother. If he wants to be a part of my life, then I want him. I’ll give him the chance to make amends. But I won’t let him try to change anything for me. I’ve long since made my choice for what I want from my life and that’s not changing. Either way, I still manage to contact Sylvio and Nadia every now and then.” Lance grinned. “Running with the Blades has perks.” Lance reached over a took Keith’s hand in his, raising it to his lips. “Ellie, hands, remember?”

“Sorry, Papi!” Ellie switched her fork from her tail back to her hand, humming as she ate. Keith squirted chocolate syrup in her milk with his free hand. Johnnie took the syrup and added it to his own cup, humming the Voltron TV show theme song.

Lance reached over and turned Keith’s face toward him. Those dark eyes looked into him, a smile gracing his lips. Lance leaned forward and Keith met him halfway, pressing a tender kiss to his lips. It still amazed him that their feelings for each other hadn’t diminished over the last eight years.

Lance smiled, gazing at his family. Yeah, this was worth it. It was worth Everything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special thanks to Thats_rough_buddy for their endorsement of my beta test prologue. I hope you all enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it.  
> Find me on tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/emotionalklance-stipation
> 
> If you're interested in my other works, take a look!  
> If you have suggestions for new works, or requests. hit me up!


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